Aditya Dhar’s “Dhurandhar” duology has become a pivotal turning point for Hindi cinema, signalling a pronounced transformation in Bollywood’s subject matter focus and ideological positions. The first instalment, launched in December 2025, became the biggest box office success in India before being split into two parts during post-production. Now, with the sequel “Dhurandhar: The Revenge” actively dominating cinemas nationwide, the espionage thriller is positioned to establish what various commentators view as a concerning transformation in Indian mainstream film: the comprehensive adoption of jingoistic narratives that explicitly court official support and exploit nationalist sentiment. The films’ overt blending of commercial entertainment and state narratives has revived discussions concerning Bollywood’s connections with political influence, particularly under PM Narendra Modi’s administration.
From Spy Thriller to Political Declaration
The narrative structure of the “Dhurandhar” duology reveals a strategic movement from entertainment to political messaging. The first film strategically set before Modi’s 2014 election victory, establishes its ideological framework through protagonists who consistently express their desperation for a leader willing to take forceful measures against both external and internal threats. This strategic timing enables the story to frame Modi’s subsequent rise to power as the solution for the country’s aspirations, converting what seems like a standard espionage film into an comprehensive validation of the ruling government’s stance on national security and armed action.
The sequel intensifies this ideological drive by presenting Modi himself as an almost omnipresent supporting character through strategically placed news footage and government broadcasts. Rather than enabling the fictional narrative to exist separately, the filmmakers have interwoven the Prime Minister’s genuine appearance and rhetoric throughout the story, significantly erasing the boundaries between entertainment and government messaging. This calculated narrative approach distinguishes the “Dhurandhar” films from prior cases of Bollywood’s political positioning, elevating them from muted ideological content to overt political backing that transforms cinema into a instrument for political credibility.
- First film calls for a strong leader ahead of Modi’s electoral triumph
- Sequel features Modi as a supporting character via news clips
- Narrative conflates fictional heroism alongside government policy approval
- Films erase the boundaries between entertainment and also state propaganda deliberately
The Development of Bollywood’s Philosophical Change
The commercial success of the “Dhurandhar” duology indicates a profound transformation in Bollywood’s relationship with nationalist thought and state power. Whilst the Indian film industry has historically maintained strong connections to political structures, the explicit character of these films represents a meaningful change in how directly cinema now channels governmental messaging. The franchise’s commercial supremacy—with the first instalment becoming the top-earning Hindi film in India upon its December release—shows that viewers are growing more receptive to content that smoothly incorporates political propaganda. This receptiveness indicates a fundamental change in what Indian audiences regard as acceptable cinematic content, progressing past the subtle ideological positioning of earlier films towards explicit state advocacy.
The ramifications of this shift extend beyond simple box office figures. By attaining unprecedented commercial success whilst explicitly merging fictional heroism with state policy, the “Dhurandhar” films have effectively legitimised a new template for Bollywood production. Next-generation filmmakers now have access to a tested formula for blending patriotic feeling with commercial success, potentially establishing propagandistic cinema as a viable and lucrative genre. This shift reflects wider social changes within India, where the dividing lines separating cinema, patriotism, and official discourse have become increasingly porous, prompting critical questions about the cinema’s influence in influencing public awareness of politics and national identity.
A Trend of Patriotic Cinema
The “Dhurandhar” duology does not emerge in a vacuum but rather represents the culmination of a growing trend within modern Indian film. Recent years have seen a surge of films employing nationalist rhetoric and anti-Muslim narratives, including “The Kashmir Files,” “The Kerala Story,” and “The Taj Story.” These films share a shared ideological structure that recasts Indian history through a Hindu-centric lens whilst portraying Muslims as fundamental dangers. However, what distinguishes the “Dhurandhar” films from these predecessors is their better filmmaking craft and production quality, which lend their propaganda a sheen of artistic credibility that more crude anti-Muslim productions do not possess.
This differentiation demonstrates notably problematic because the “Dhurandhar” duology’s cinematic craft and audience engagement obscure its inherently ideological nature. Where films like “The Kashmir Files” serve as blunt political instruments, the “Dhurandhar” series deploys cinematic craft to render its ideological content appealing to general viewers. The franchise thus embodies a troubling progression: propaganda elevated through sophisticated production into material bordering on government-endorsed filmmaking. This sophisticated approach to political narrative may become increasingly impactful in shaping public opinion than explicitly divisive films, as audiences may embrace political messaging when it arrives wrapped in compelling entertainment.
Cinematic Technique Versus Political Narratives
The “Dhurandhar” duology’s most pernicious quality lies in its marriage of production sophistication with ideological extremism. Director Aditya Dhar displays substantial expertise of the thriller genre, assembling sequences of raw power and narrative momentum that captivate audiences. This filmmaking skill becomes contentious precisely because it functions as a medium for ideological messaging, reshaping what might otherwise be blunt political content into something far more alluring and convincing. The films’ polished aesthetic, accomplished visual composition, and powerful acting by actors like Ranveer Singh add legitimacy to their fundamentally divisive narratives, rendering their political content more digestible to mainstream viewers who might otherwise spurn explicitly provocative content.
This intersection of artistic merit and ideological messaging creates a distinctive difficulty for film criticism and cultural commentary. Audiences frequently struggle to distinguish between aesthetic appreciation from political analysis, particularly when entertainment appeal demonstrates genuine appeal. The “Dhurandhar” films exploit this tension intentionally, relying on the notion that viewers absorbed in exciting action scenes will absorb their underlying messages without critical resistance. The danger intensifies because the films’ technical accomplishments grant them credibility within critical conversation, enabling their nationalist ideals to circulate more widely and shape public opinion more effectively than cruder predecessors ever could.
| Film | Narrative Strength |
|---|---|
| Dhurandhar | Espionage intrigue with compelling character development and moral ambiguity |
| Dhurandhar: The Revenge | Political thriller capitalising on nationalist sentiment and state apparatus mythology |
| The Kashmir Files | Historical narrative lacking cinematic sophistication or narrative complexity |
- Technical excellence converts propagandistic content into mass-market content
- Advanced cinematography obscures ideological undertones from rigorous analysis
- Filmmaking skill raises patriotic messaging above raw inflammatory speech
The Concerning Implications for Indian Film Industry
The commercial and critical success of the “Dhurandhar” duology indicates a concerning trajectory for Indian cinema, one in which patriotic fervor increasingly determines box office performance and cultural relevance. Where once Bollywood functioned as a forum for multiple perspectives and competing viewpoints, the emergence of these jingoistic thrillers suggests a contraction in acceptable discourse. The films’ unprecedented success indicates that audiences are becoming more drawn to entertainment that explicitly validates state power and characterises opposition as treachery. This shift reflects broader societal polarisation, yet cinema’s particular power to shape public imagination means its ideological leanings carry particular weight in shaping popular opinion and political attitudes.
The ramifications extend beyond mere viewing habits. When a country’s film industry regularly generates stories that glorify state power and vilify foreign adversaries, it runs the danger of hardening collective views and limiting meaningful dialogue with complex international political dynamics. The “Dhurandhar” movies demonstrate this risk by presenting their worldview not as a single viewpoint amongst others, but as objective truth combined with production quality and star power. For critics and cultural observers, this constitutes a watershed moment: Indian film industry’s transition from sometimes serving government objectives to actively functioning as a propaganda machine, albeit one far more sophisticated than its historical predecessors.
Propaganda Disguised as Entertainment
The troubling nature of the “Dhurandhar” duology rests upon its calculated obscuring of political messaging within layers of cinematic craft. Director Aditya Dhar develops elaborate action sequences and character arcs that capture audience attention, successfully diverting from the films’ persistent advancement of nationalist ideology and blind faith in state institutions. The protagonist’s journey, ostensibly a personal quest for redemption, functions simultaneously as a exaltation of governmental power and military might. By incorporating propagandistic content inside compelling stories, the films attain what cruder political messaging cannot: they reshape ideology into spectacle, making audiences complicit in their own ideological conditioning whilst considering themselves simply entertained.
This strategy proves particularly effective because it works beneath deliberate notice. Viewers captivated by gripping dramatic moments and poignant character development take in the films’ fundamental narratives—that forceful state intervention is required, that adversaries lack redemption, that individual sacrifice for state interests is worthy—without detecting the manipulation occurring. The sophisticated cinematography, engaging portrayals, and real technical skill add legitimacy to these accounts, making them appear less like persuasive messaging and more like true storytelling. This appearance of authenticity permits the films’ polarising worldview to reach mainstream consciousness far more effectively than openly divisive messaging ever would.
What This Implies for International Viewers
The global success of the “Dhurandhar” duology presents a concerning pattern for how state-backed cinema can cross geographic borders and cultural differences. As streaming services like Netflix release these films globally, audiences in Western nations and beyond encounter advanced propagandistic content wrapped in the recognizable style of espionage thrillers and action cinema. Without the understanding of cultural and political contexts required to decode the films’ nationalist rhetoric, international viewers may inadvertently consume and legitimise Indian state ideology, substantially broadening the reach of propagandistic narratives far outside their original domestic viewership. This worldwide distribution of politically sensitive material poses urgent questions about platform accountability and the ethical implications of distributing state-backed films to unsuspecting international audiences.
Furthermore, the “Dhurandhar” films establish a troubling template that other nations may seek to emulate. If government-backed film can secure both critical recognition and commercial success whilst promoting nationalist agendas, other governments—particularly those prone to authoritarianism—may recognise cinema as a distinctly potent tool for ideological propagation. The films demonstrate that propaganda doesn’t need to be crude or obvious to be effective; rather, when paired with genuine artistic talent and significant funding, it becomes virtually unavoidable. For international viewers and film critics, the duology’s success indicates a concerning future where entertainment and government messaging become increasingly indistinguishable.
