THE ASIAN INDEPENDENT UK
Bal Ram Sampla
Geopolitics
The Bollywood film Dhurandhar has become one of the most talked-about movies of 2025, not just for what’s on screen, but for the storms it has created off it. Released on December 5, 2025, this action thriller has sparked debates in India, Pakistan, and beyond. The controversies have given the film exactly what every movie dreams of: massive free publicity that money simply cannot buy.
The trouble began even before the film hit theaters. The family of Major Mohit Sharma, a decorated Indian soldier who died fighting terrorists in 2009, filed a lawsuit against the filmmakers. They claimed the movie used his life story without permission and worried it might reveal military secrets. Major Sharma had worked undercover in Kashmir, and his family felt the film crossed important lines between entertainment and national security.
Then came the accusations of propaganda. Critics called the film crude and over-the-top, saying it was less about cinema and more about pushing a political message. The movie names Pakistan and Islamic terrorists directly as villains, which made some uncomfortable. Others argued this was nothing new in Indian cinema and reflected real historical conflicts.
When Critics Became Targets
Perhaps the most disturbing controversy involved what happened to film critic Anupama Chopra. After she published her review of the movie, she received violent threats and messages, including rape threats. Her platform had to delete the video due to the harassment. This raised serious questions about whether critics in India can safely do their jobs anymore, and many in Bollywood remained silent about the intimidation.
Actor Hrithik Roshan also faced backlash when he said he disagreed with the film’s politics. Many people attacked him online, arguing that the film simply showed the truth about terrorist violence. The debate showed how divided opinions were about whether the movie was patriotic storytelling or dangerous propaganda.
Technical Troubles and PR Wars
Behind the scenes, things got messy too. Press screenings were suddenly cancelled due to what the producers called technical problems. Then Yami Gautam, the wife of director Aditya Dhar, made public accusations about a PR machinery in Bollywood that extorts filmmakers. The film became surrounded by stories of industry politics and power games.
YouTuber Dhruv Rathee added fuel to the fire by comparing scenes from the movie to watching violent terrorist videos, accusing the director of caring only about profits. This sparked more arguments about how much violence is too much in mainstream cinema.
The Pakistan Paradox
Perhaps the most fascinating twist in this story is what happened in Pakistan. Instead of simply rejecting the film as anti-Pakistan propaganda, Pakistani audiences were divided among themselves. Some praised the movie’s attention to detail in portraying Karachi and Baloch culture, saying it showed their neighbourhoods and communities more carefully than their own filmmakers had done.
A lawyer from Karachi admitted he was surprised by how accurately the film depicted local areas. A journalist noted that the movie gave Baloch culture more visibility than Pakistani television usually provides. This created an uncomfortable situation where some Pakistanis were asking why India was telling Pakistani stories better than Pakistan itself.
However, not all reactions were positive. Political leaders objected to the use of images of former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, calling it disrespectful. The widow of a Pakistani police officer featured in the film considered legal action over how her late husband was portrayed. Balochistan leaders criticized the film for showing their region negatively.
Since Indian films are banned in Pakistan, people there were watching Dhurandhar through illegal channels, which only added to Indian viewers’ curiosity about what was causing such strong reactions across the border.
The Publicity Goldmine
All these controversies had one clear winner: the film’s box office. Dhurandhar crossed 200 crore rupees in earnings, proving the old saying that there’s no such thing as bad publicity. Every lawsuit, every threat against critics, every heated debate on social media, and every discussion in Pakistan created more buzz and curiosity.
People who might never have heard of the film were now talking about it. Those who disagreed with its message wanted to see what the fuss was about. Those who supported it went to show solidarity. The controversies turned Dhurandhar from just another action movie into a cultural event that everyone had an opinion about.
The Dhurandhar controversy raises important questions that go beyond one film. Can filmmakers tell stories based on real military heroes without family permission? Where is the line between patriotic cinema and propaganda? Should critics fear for their safety when reviewing films? Can audiences separate entertainment from politics?
It also highlights how cinema can become a battleground for larger debates about nationalism, freedom of expression, and how we remember our heroes and villains. The film has succeeded commercially, but it has also revealed deep divisions about what stories we tell, how we tell them, and who gets to decide what’s appropriate.
Whether you see Dhurandhar as a brave film telling difficult truths or as dangerous propaganda depends largely on where you stand politically. But one thing is certain: the controversies have made this film impossible to ignore. In the attention economy of modern entertainment, that might be the biggest success of all.
The makers of Dhurandhar set out to tell a story about covert operations and national security. What they ended up with was a phenomenon that demonstrates how, in today’s world, the drama surrounding a film can be just as powerful as the drama within it.
References
1.https://swarajyamag.com/culture/why-dhurandhar-has-exposed-the-fault-lines-of-film-criticism
2.https://www.m9.news/bollywood/anupama-chopra-dhurandhar-review-deleted-controversy/
3.https://shop.ssbcrack.com/blogs/blog/bollywood-film-dhurandhar-under-legal-and-public-scrutiny-before-release
4.https://www.indiatvnews.com/news/india/dhurandhar-movie-stirs-balochistan-hornet-s-nest-here-s-how-baloch-rebels-reacted-on-social-media-2025-12-10-1021117
5.https://theprint.in/go-to-pakistan/dhurandhar-opens-pakistan-vs-pakistan-debate-baloch-are-split-karachi-journalists-divided/2802810/
6.https://youtu.be/JnSE8q1bllc?si=etR2uPgAHzgbJWGZ
