Muted colours, shorter cut: How Dhurandhar's OTT version alters the experience

When Dhurandhar arrived in theatres, it was immediately clear that the film was designed for the big screen. Beyond its scale and ensemble cast — Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal and Sanjay Dutt — the film leaned heavily on its visual language.

Director Aditya Dhar used strong contrasts, deep shadows and a carefully calibrated colour palette to heighten tension and underline the emotional stakes. That visual intent, however, feels noticeably softened in the version now available on streaming.

Viewers revisiting Dhurandhar on OTT have remarked that the colour grading appears more muted than it did in cinemas. The palette looks flatter, with greyer tones replacing the richer contrasts that once gave several sequences their bite.

On smaller screens, the change may appear minor, but cumulatively it affects how the film lands. Scenes built around menace or moral ambiguity feel less immersive, as if their sharp edges have been gently filed down.

Colour grading is rarely discussed outside film circles, but it plays a crucial role in storytelling. In Dhurandhar, the heightened tones helped define character arcs and shifts in power. A more neutral presentation may make the film easier to standardise across devices, yet it also smooths over the visual texture that made the theatrical experience distinctive.

The visual changes are accompanied by a slightly shorter runtime. The film, which originally ran for 3 hours and 34 minutes in cinemas, now clocks in at roughly 3 hours and 25 minutes on OTT.

For a narrative that packed in multiple arcs and extended action set pieces, even a nine-minute reduction is noticeable. Some viewers have pointed to missing beats and tightened transitions, while others have observed that the overall pacing feels marginally brisker.

Alongside these trims, there has also been discussion around how dialogue is presented. Certain abuses appear softened, with a few cuss words muted or beeped out. For audiences accustomed to streaming platforms offering versions freer than theatrical cuts, this has been an unexpected adjustment.

Industry chatter suggests that the version streaming aligns broadly with the CBFC-approved cut, with only minor tweaks such as streamlined end credits and small editorial refinements. Even so, the cumulative effect of these changes has left some viewers feeling that the OTT version carries a more “sanitised” tone.

Reports about how these alterations came about have varied. Bollywood Hungama cited a source claiming that edits were made at the platform level without explicit approval from Aditya Dhar, while Pinkvilla quoted a source stating that the makers had submitted an unaltered version that complied with all streaming requirements.

“Dhurandhar makers submitted a version with no edits or cuts for its Netflix release. The version delivered to the streaming platform fully complies with streamer’s mandates and requirements,” the source said. The differing accounts underline how opaque the transition from theatrical to digital release can often be.

This matters because Dhurandhar is not a small or niche title. The film crossed ₹800 crore at the domestic box office and earned more than ₹1200 crore worldwide, making it one of the biggest Indian releases of its time. A film of this scale arrives on streaming with significant expectations, particularly from viewers who may have missed it in theatres and were waiting to experience it in its intended form.

Interestingly, while some viewers have criticised the toned-down visuals and editorial choices, others have praised aspects of the streaming version. The dubbed tracks and large-scale action sequences continue to draw appreciation, and the film’s central performances remain effective regardless of format. For these viewers, the changes are noticeable but not deal-breaking.

Still, the broader conversation points to a growing expectation among audiences. When a film of this scale moves to streaming, viewers increasingly expect fidelity to the original presentation. Minor alterations — whether in colour grading, runtime or dialogue treatment — become more visible precisely because the theatrical version set a strong benchmark.

As streaming platforms play an ever-larger role in how films are consumed and revisited, Dhurandhar serves as a telling case study. The film’s buzz has not faded — if anything, Part 2 speculation is already gathering pace — but its OTT version highlights how subtle technical and editorial decisions can reshape perception.

Preserving a film’s visual and tonal identity is not just about nostalgia; it is about respecting the elements that helped it connect so powerfully with audiences in the first place.