Amid the massive success of Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar: The Revenge, comparisons with Uri: The Surgical Strike resurfaced when a user on X contrasted Paresh Rawal’s portrayal inspired by Ajit Doval with R. Madhavan’s role, prompting a response from Rawal. A user took to X and shared a photo of Rawal as NSA Govind Bhardwaj. The user wrote, "I quite liked @SirPareshRawal as Ajit Doval in Uri The Surgical Strike! Except that they didn’t show him smoke in the film."
Referring to a still featuring his iconic line, "You might have just won us the war, son," Paresh Rawal playfully reacted to the comparison by resharing the image and adding a humorous twist. Taking to X, the veteran actor joked about his character’s composed demeanor, quipping that while he didn’t smoke, he certainly 'broke the phones', followed by a laughing emoji.
Fans of Paresh Rawal found his response hilarious, with some comparing Ajit Doval’s portrayals to the James Bond legacy featuring actors like Roger Moore, Sean Connery, Pierce Brosnan and Daniel Craig, while others joked about his 'phone-breaking' remark; however, opinions remained divided, with some praising him as the best Doval and others favoring R. Madhavan’s performance.
Amid the buzz around Dhurandhar, R. Madhavan faced backlash over a scene where he was accused of smoking while reciting from Dasam Granth. Clarifying the controversy, he stated that director Aditya Dhar had ensured the cigarette was put out beforehand, with no smoke or such visuals shown out of respect for its sanctity.
The issue extended further when Ranveer Singh’s character was also alleged to be shown smoking while wearing a turban. Addressing this, Aditya clarified that the image was AI-generated and reaffirmed the team’s deep respect for the Sikh community. Meanwhile, Dhurandhar: The Revenge continues its theatrical run after releasing on March 19.