The debate around Dhurandhar refuses to die down.
Months after its theatrical release, the Aditya Dhar directorial Dhurandar starring Ranveer Singh continues to stir conversations, not just for its box office performance but for its politics and tone. The latest controversy weigh when Hotmail cofounder Sabeer Bhatia, who did not mince words while sharing his thoughts on the film.
Taking to Instagram Bhatia posted a video review describing the movie as “emotionally charged” and driven more by sensationalism than substance. “Movies today aren’t made to emotionally empower you. They’re engineered to trigger you. Be cautious!” he wrote in the caption.
In the video he questioned the intellectual depth of the film. ‘Where is the intellectual component in this? All it is spreading is the message of revenge and hate. It’s disgusting,” he said, expressing concern about the kind of narratives being celebrated.
Bhatia elaborated that his discomfort with Dhurandhar stems from what he sees as glorification of violence and revenge. According to him cinema has a responsibility especially when it influences young audiences.
“We don’t want our kids to be emotional reactors. We want the younger generation to be logical thinkers,” he said adding that he found “zero creativity” in what he described as “senseless killings” and revenge driven storytelling.
He also criticised the film for painting “entire countries and institutions with a broad brush,” arguing that complex geopolitical realities cannot be reduced to binary portrayals of good and evil. “Individuals are good or bad, not countries,” he remarked urging viewers to reject the film.
As expected the internet responded swiftly and sharply.
Some users agreed with Bhatia’s assessment. One comment read, ‘Kindness, love, empathy, compassion, fun, quality comedy & originality is long dead.” Another viewer claimed their family had decided to skip the sequel entirely.
However not everyone shared his viewpoint. Several users argued that films are, at the end of the day entertainment products. “Even Hollywood produces senseless movies sometimes… some movies are made purely for entertainment,” one person wrote. Another defended the film’s narrative, stating that it was “quite based on real incidents.”
Directed by Aditya Dhar Dhurandhar follows the story of an Indian spy infiltrating a Baloch gang in Pakistan’s Lyari. While critics were divided audiences turned up in large numbers. The film reportedly grossed over ₹1300 crore worldwide and later found renewed traction after its streaming release on Netflix.
The sequel Dhurandhar: The Revenge is ready to release on March 19 and is expected to clash with Toxic at the box office.
Whether one sees Dhurandhar as patriotic storytelling or problematic propaganda the film has clearly struck a nerve. And with influential voices like Sabeer Bhatia entering the conversation, the debate around cinema, responsibility and storytelling seems far from over.