Mumbai: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation has initiated strict action against filmmaker Aditya Dhar’s production banner, B62 Studios, following alleged violations during the Mumbai shoot of Dhurandhar: The Revenge. A report by The Indian Express states that the civic body has proposed permanent blacklisting of the production house against getting future filming permission, on grounds of repeated violations of official conditions.
The officials of the A ward office in the BMC have issued an official letter to the Deputy Municipal Commissioner of the Zone 1 where B62 Studios is proposed not to be allowed to seek shooting permits via the state-run filming portal, run by the Maharashtra Film, Stage and Cultural Development Corporation Limited.
What Triggered the Controversy
The issue stems from a shooting schedule conducted between February 7 and 8 in South Mumbai, specifically between Modi Street and Perin Nariman Street. Permission for the shoot had been granted on January 30. Nevertheless, authorities accuse the production crew of breaking the conditions set by the police which explicitly forbade the involvement of crackers and flammable materials at the time of shooting the film.
Following these alleged breaches, another request was submitted by Komal Pokhriyal to shoot on February 13 and 14. Due to the earlier violations, this application was cancelled by the authorities.
A fresh request was later made to film between 12:30 am and 4:00 am on February 14. Conditional approval was granted after assurances were given that no flammable materials would be used. Nonetheless, police were allegedly complaining soon after the filming process started, claiming that they were using flammable torches. Within 15 minutes, civic officers arrived at the scene and recovered five lit torches.
After the second incident, the applicants reportedly informed officials that fire-related visuals would instead be added using visual effects.
Proposed Penalties and Possible Blacklisting
In addition to recommending permanent blacklisting, the BMC has proposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh for allegedly shooting on a building terrace and using two generator vans without proper authorisation. The Rs 25,000 security deposit submitted earlier has also been forfeited.
The A ward office has also tried to request authorization to officially recognize the seized property and start penalty action against Komal Pokhriyal, Nashir Khan, and B62 Studios. This move would practically prevent the production house and the specified applicants to be granted any subsequent filming permits by the governmental portal.
The development comes as a major setback for the makers of Dhurandhar: The Revenge, with the final decision now resting on senior civic authorities.
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