Film scholar Ira Bhaskar has criticised the political messaging of the film Dhurandhar, arguing that its portrayal of Muslims and Pakistan reinforces troubling stereotypes despite the film’s technical strengths.
Bhaskar, who is also the mother of actor Swara Bhaskar, shared her views while appearing on an episode of Karwan e Mohabbat on YouTube. Her remarks come as the sequel, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, prepares for release next week.
The original film, which hit theatres in December last year, emerged as a massive box-office success and generated significant online buzz. However, it also drew criticism from sections of the audience and commentators who questioned its ideological undertones.
While acknowledging the film’s craft, Bhaskar said its underlying ideological framework deserves scrutiny.
“Let me give the example of Dhurandhar, which is earning crores at the box office. Since it’s the most recent example of this, also doing very well at the box office. This is an example of a film made by a filmmaker who is ideologically convinced by Hindutva and the ideology of Hindutva,” she said, referring to director Aditya Dhar.
Bhaskar further criticised the depiction of violence and how it aligns with a particular worldview.
“It’s extremely violent. And its violence is at the service of a belief structure of an ideology that Muslims are very violent people. Pakistan is a very violent nation. You don’t see any normal Muslim there. Everyone is a terrorist or a gangster.”
She also argued that films claiming to draw inspiration from real events often select details that reinforce a particular narrative.
“It’s a fiction film based on true events, supposedly. And it’s selective, as all these films are. It will only selectively choose what to put together in order to serve the ideology.”
Bhaskar also reflected on the film’s filmmaking style, noting that strong technique cannot be separated from the message being conveyed.
“But what is technical, you know, I mean, how is technique to be divorced from and how is form to be divorced from content?”
Despite such criticism, Dhurandhar has received significant praise from several filmmakers since its release. Director Ram Gopal Varma described the film as “a quantum leap in Indian cinema” in a post on X.
Similarly, filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga praised its storytelling and tone, writing on the platform that the film has a “masculine spine.”
“Dhurandhar is built like a man who doesn’t talk much and carries a masculine spine. Dhurandhar, The title fits because the film moves with dominance and fierce. The depiction is very clear with zero chaos.”
