Dhurandhar: Aditya Dhar’s spy thriller Dhurandhar has been in the news ever since it released in theatres. Along with its strong box office performance, the film has also sparked intense discussions online and offline. While many viewers have praised the film’s gripping storyline and performances, it has also faced criticism from political commentator and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee, who recently described the film as propaganda. As the debate grew louder, director Aditya Dhar appeared to respond to the criticism, though not directly naming Rathee, through a post on social media.
On Saturday, Dhruv Rathee uploaded a video on his YouTube channel titled ‘Reality of Dhurandhar.’ In the video, he strongly criticised the film and called it ‘dangerous propaganda’ based on lies. Earlier as well, Rathee had questioned the film’s violence and graphic content on social media. In his video, Rathee said that the biggest issue with Dhurandhar is that it repeatedly claims to be inspired by real events. He pointed out that the trailer clearly mentions this and also uses real footage from the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. According to him, the film includes actual audio recordings of conversations between terrorists and their handlers, and features characters inspired by real-life gangsters and police officers from Pakistan’s Lyari area. Rathee added that because the story is rooted in reality, it feels more believable than other spy thrillers such as Pathaan or Tiger. However, he accused director Aditya Dhar of pushing false narratives through cinema and labelled the film ‘jhootha aur vahiyat propaganda.’ He also said that well-made propaganda can be more harmful than badly made films.
Soon after Dhruv Rathee’s video went viral, Aditya Dhar shared an Instagram story that many saw as an indirect response. His post read, “History is being rewritten in Indian cinema. By men and women who have fire in their hearts and love for their country. They wanted to tell a story to their country people.” The post further added, “The best part of the box office success of Dhurandhar is that it’s organic. All those crying ‘corporate bookings’ in the week of release have suddenly become silent now.” Without naming Rathee, the post stated“A video maker tried to criticise it recently and got swept away by a wave of criticism against him. Dhurandhar is a craze today. A tsunami which will sweep away any other release in its path. A tsunami which will roll into 2026. It is not going to stop soon.” Actor Naveen Kaushik, who plays Donga in the film, has also spoken out, stating clearly that he does not agree with Rathee’s views.
Aditya Dhar Indirectly Reacts To Dhruv Rathee’s Crticism Video On Dhurandhar (Image: Instagram/@adityadharfilms)
Dhurandhar Box Office Update
Despite the controversy, Dhurandhar continues to perform strongly at the box office. According to trade website Sacnilk, the film has earned around ₹589.50 crore in India so far. Released on December 5, the film stars Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt and Arjun Rampal. A sequel has already been announced and is set to release on March 19, 2026.