The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has reportedly blacklisted filmmaker Aditya Dhar and his brother Lokesh Dhar’s production company, B62 Studios, for allegedly violating safety norms on the sets of Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge. The action was taken after the production house filmed on a building terrace and used two generator vans without permission.
The civic body also cited “repeated violations” during a night shoot in South Mumbai’s heritage Fort area on February 14. According to reports, the team used lit torches to shoot a scene even though they had given an undertaking that visuals involving flammable objects would be created through VFX.
Following these violations, the BMC has barred the production house from applying for filming permissions in Mumbai. The civic body has also sought a penalty of Rs 1 lakh and called for the forfeiture of the Rs 25,000 security deposit.
Will Dhurandhar 2 Miss Its March 19 Release Date?
With the production house now blacklisted, questions have surfaced about whether Dhurandhar 2 could miss its scheduled March 19 release. However, reports suggest the film remains on track and is still expected to arrive in theatres on Eid, where it will clash with Toxic: A Fairytale for Grownups, starring Yash, The Indian Express reported.
The report further quoted a source close to the production, who described the BMC’s concerns as “ground issues” and claimed they had “no clue” that the production house had been blacklisted.
BMC’s Crackdown On Aditya Dhar’s Studio
Although the BMC reportedly blacklisted three applicants, Komal Pokhriyal, Nasir Khan and B62 Studios, the shoot may still continue if permissions are sought through another applicant, including Jio Studios.
“Having received the clearances, the three applicants – Komal Pokhriyal, Nasir Khan and B62 production house – can no longer apply for shoot permissions with the Maharashtra Film, Stage and Cultural Development CL website,” The Indian Express had earlier reported. The report added that the copies of order will be sent to the concerned people.
However, the restriction applies only to the three named applicants. “...the application can still be filed for their shoots on behalf of a fourth applicant and as such, permissions can still be granted to them for filming,” a source told The Indian Express, requesting anonymity.
Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar
Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge is co-produced by Jio Studios and B62 Studios. The first film, directed by Aditya Dhar, was released in December last year and went on to become the highest-grossing Indian film ever at the domestic box office, while also crossing Rs 1,300 crore worldwide. It also became the longest-trending Indian film on BookMyShow.
The film, made on a budget of around Rs 250-475 crore for both parts, features Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, R Madhavan, Sara Arjun and Rakesh Bedi, among others.
Dhurandhar premiered on Netflix on January 30 this year. Despite the theatrical ban, the film topped Netflix charts in Pakistan. The spy action thriller, which deals with sensitive events like the 26/11 attacks and the Kandahar hijacking, also found its way into Pakistan’s pirated market, where copies were reportedly being sold for as little as Rs 16.