Aditya Dhar’s “Dhurandhar” duology has become a landmark achievement for Hindi cinema, signalling a dramatic shift in Bollywood’s narrative priorities and political allegiances. The initial chapter, launched in December 2025, proved to be the highest-grossing Hindi-language film in India prior to being divided into two parts in the post-production phase. Now, with the sequel “Dhurandhar: The Revenge” actively dominating cinemas nationwide, the espionage thriller is poised to cement what various commentators view as a troubling shift in Indian mainstream film: the comprehensive adoption of jingoistic narratives that deliberately pursue state approval and exploit patriotic feeling. The films’ brazen conflation of entertainment and state propaganda has reignited debates about Bollywood’s relationship with political power, especially during Narendra Modi’s administration.
From Spy Thriller to Political Declaration
The narrative structure of the “Dhurandhar” duology reveals a calculated progression from escapism to ideological advocacy. The first film deliberately positioned before Modi’s 2014 electoral triumph, sets up its political foundation through characters who repeatedly voice their yearning for a figure prepared to pursue decisive action against both external and internal dangers. This strategic timing allows the narrative to present Modi’s later ascent to leadership as the answer to the nation’s prayers, transforming what seems like a standard espionage film into an comprehensive validation of the administration’s approach to national security and military aggression.
The sequel heightens this ideological drive by featuring Modi himself as an almost omnipresent supporting character through carefully positioned news footage and government broadcasts. Rather than enabling the fictional narrative to stand independently, the filmmakers have woven the Prime Minister’s genuine appearance and rhetoric throughout the story, substantially obscuring the boundaries between entertainment and state communication. This intentional storytelling decision distinguishes the “Dhurandhar” films from previous instances of Bollywood’s political alignment, advancing them from muted ideological content to explicit governmental advocacy that transforms cinema into a vehicle for political legitimacy.
- First film calls for a powerful leader before Modi’s electoral triumph
- Sequel presents Modi in a supporting character via news clips
- Narrative merges fictional heroism with government policy endorsement
- Films erase the boundaries between entertainment and also state propaganda by design
The Transformation of Bollywood’s Philosophical Change
The commercial success of the “Dhurandhar” duology indicates a significant shift in Bollywood’s connection to nationalist ideology and government authority. Whilst the Indian cinema sector has traditionally upheld strong connections to political structures, the explicit character of these films constitutes a meaningful change in how overtly cinema now channels governmental messaging. The franchise’s box office dominance—with the first instalment emerging as the top-earning Hindi film in India following its December launch—demonstrates that audiences are increasingly receptive to entertainment that seamlessly integrates state messaging. This receptiveness indicates a fundamental change in what Indian audiences regard as acceptable film content, progressing past the subtle ideological positioning of prior cinema towards direct governmental promotion.
The implications of this transition extend beyond mere commercial performance. By achieving remarkable box office gains whilst directly blending fictional heroism with political agenda, the “Dhurandhar” films have effectively endorsed a fresh blueprint for Bollywood production. Future filmmakers now possess a tested formula for blending patriotic feeling with financial gains, conceivably fostering state-aligned filmmaking as a sustainable and profitable category. This shift demonstrates broader societal transformations within India, where the boundaries between entertainment, nationalism, and state messaging have become less distinct, generating significant inquiries about cinema’s role in shaping public awareness of politics and sense of nationhood.
A Pattern of National Cinema
The “Dhurandhar” duology does not appear in a vacuum but rather represents the culmination of a growing trend within contemporary Indian cinema. The past few years have witnessed a surge of films employing nationalist rhetoric and anti-Muslim framing, including “The Kashmir Files,” “The Kerala Story,” and “The Taj Story.” These films share a shared ideological structure that reinterprets Indian history through a Hindu-centric lens whilst portraying Muslims as existential threats. However, what distinguishes the “Dhurandhar” films from these predecessors is their superior cinematic execution and production values, which lend their propaganda a sheen of artistic credibility that more crude anti-Muslim productions lack.
This distinction proves particularly concerning because the “Dhurandhar” duology’s production quality and popular appeal obscure its essentially propagandist nature. Where films like “The Kashmir Files” operate as simplistic propagandist instruments, the “Dhurandhar” series deploys filmmaking expertise to make its political messaging palatable to mass audiences. The franchise thus constitutes a troubling progression: propaganda elevated through professional filmmaking into what resembles government-endorsed filmmaking. This polished strategy to political narrative may exert greater influence in influencing audience views than overtly provocative films, as audiences may embrace propagandistic material when it is presented in compelling entertainment.
Cinematic Technique Versus Political Narratives
The “Dhurandhar” duology’s most insidious quality lies in its fusion of production sophistication with political radicalism. Director Aditya Dhar displays considerable mastery of the action thriller genre, assembling sequences of raw power and narrative momentum that engage audiences. This technical competence becomes contentious precisely because it serves as a vehicle for ideological messaging, reshaping what might otherwise be crude political messaging into something far more seductive and persuasive. The films’ refined visual presentation, accomplished visual composition, and powerful acting by actors like Ranveer Singh provide plausibility to their inherently polarizing narratives, turning their political content more palatable to wider audiences who might otherwise dismiss explicitly provocative content.
This intersection of artistic merit and propagandistic intent presents a unique challenge for cinematic analysis and cultural commentary. Audiences frequently struggle to distinguish between artistic enjoyment from political critique, particularly when entertainment value proves genuinely compelling. The “Dhurandhar” films exploit this tension deliberately, banking on the idea that viewers absorbed in thrilling action sequences will absorb their embedded messaging without critical resistance. The danger intensifies because the films’ technical accomplishments bestow them credibility within critical conversation, allowing 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 |
- Skilled craftsmanship transforms ideological material into popular media
- Sophisticated filmmaking obscures ideological undertones from rigorous analysis
- Filmmaking skill raises nationalist rhetoric beyond crude inflammatory discourse
The Problematic Implications for Indian Cinema
The box office and critical success of the “Dhurandhar” duology indicates a concerning trajectory for Indian cinema, one in which nationalistic sentiment increasingly determines box office performance and cultural importance. Where once Bollywood served as a forum for multiple perspectives and differing opinions, the emergence of these patriotic suspense films suggests a contraction in acceptable discourse. The films’ remarkable achievement indicates that audiences are increasingly receptive to entertainment that openly champions state power and positions dissent as treachery. This shift mirrors increased public polarization, yet cinema’s distinctive ability to shape collective imagination means its ideological leanings carry particular weight in affecting political attitudes and political attitudes.
The consequences go further than simple viewing habits. When a nation’s film industry consistently produces narratives that glorify state power and portray negatively foreign adversaries, it runs the danger of ossifying public opinion and restricting meaningful dialogue with complex geopolitical realities. The “Dhurandhar” films illustrate this danger by portraying their perspective not as one perspective among many, but as objective truth packaged with production quality and celebrity appeal. For commentators and media analysts, this constitutes a watershed moment: Indian film industry’s transition from occasionally accommodating government objectives to deliberately operating as a propaganda apparatus, albeit one far more sophisticated than its historical predecessors.
Propaganda Presented as Entertainment
The insidious nature of the “Dhurandhar” duology rests upon its calculated obscuring of political messaging under layers of cinematic craft. Director Aditya Dhar develops complex action scenes and character arcs that capture audience attention, deftly deflecting from the films’ constant endorsement of nationalist ideology and uncritical belief in state institutions. The protagonist’s journey, nominally a personal quest for redemption, functions simultaneously as a celebration of governmental power and military might. By weaving propagandistic content throughout engaging narratives, the films accomplish what cruder political messaging cannot: they reshape ideology into spectacle, turning audiences complicit in their own ideological conditioning whilst regarding themselves as merely entertained.
This strategy proves particularly compelling because it functions beneath deliberate notice. Viewers engrossed by gripping dramatic moments and poignant character development internalise the films’ fundamental narratives—that decisive governmental control is essential, that adversaries lack redemption, that personal sacrifice for state interests is honourable—without detecting the manipulation occurring. The polished camera work, engaging portrayals, and real technical skill lend credibility to these accounts, making them appear less like ideological material and more like genuine narrative. This veneer of legitimacy enables the films’ divisive ideology to reach popular awareness far more successfully than overtly inflammatory material ever would.
What This Means for Global Audiences
The global success of the “Dhurandhar” duology presents a concerning precedent for how state-aligned cinema can cross geographical boundaries and cultural contexts. As streaming services like Netflix release these films globally, audiences in Western nations and elsewhere encounter sophisticated propaganda wrapped in the recognizable style of espionage thrillers and action cinema. Without the cultural and political literacy required to decode the films’ nationalist messaging, international viewers may inadvertently consume and legitimise Indian state ideology, substantially broadening the reach of propagandistic content far beyond their original domestic viewership. This worldwide distribution of politically charged content poses critical concerns about platform accountability and the moral dimensions of circulating state-backed films to unaware overseas viewers.
Furthermore, the “Dhurandhar” films set a troubling template that other nations might attempt to emulate. If state-aligned cinema can secure both critical recognition and box office success whilst advancing nationalist agendas, rival administrations—particularly those with authoritarian tendencies—may identify cinema as a uniquely powerful tool for ideological dissemination. The films show that propaganda need not be crude or obvious to be effective; rather, when paired with authentic creative talent and considerable resources, it becomes almost inescapable. For worldwide audiences and movie reviewers, the duology’s success signals a worrying prospect where entertainment and state messaging become progressively harder to distinguish.
