Aditya Dhar’s “Dhurandhar” duology has become a pivotal turning point for Hindi cinema, signalling a pronounced transformation in Bollywood’s thematic preoccupations and ideological positions. The first instalment, launched in December 2025, became the highest-grossing Hindi-language film in India before being split into two parts in the post-production phase. Now, with the second instalment “Dhurandhar: The Revenge” actively dominating cinemas nationwide, the spy saga is positioned to establish what many observers view as a troubling shift in Indian commercial cinema: the comprehensive adoption of patriotic-inflected tales that deliberately pursue state approval and capitalise on national pride. The films’ overt blending of entertainment and state propaganda has revived discussions concerning Bollywood’s ties to political authority, notably under Narendra Modi’s administration.
From Espionage Thriller to Political Manifesto
The narrative structure of the “Dhurandhar” duology demonstrates a calculated progression from escapism to political messaging. The first film strategically set before Modi’s 2014 electoral triumph, sets up its ideological framework through characters who repeatedly voice their yearning for a figure prepared to pursue forceful measures against both foreign and domestic threats. This temporal positioning enables the story to present Modi’s later ascent to leadership as the solution for the country’s aspirations, converting what appears to be a standard espionage film into an elaborate endorsement of the administration’s approach to national security and military aggression.
The sequel intensifies this promotional agenda 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 operate on its own, the filmmakers have interwoven the Prime Minister’s genuine appearance and rhetoric throughout the story, significantly erasing the boundaries between entertainment and official discourse. This calculated narrative approach distinguishes the “Dhurandhar” films from previous instances of Bollywood’s political alignment, elevating them from muted ideological content to explicit governmental advocacy that transforms cinema into a instrument for political credibility.
- First film appeals for a powerful leader ahead of Modi’s election victory
- Sequel includes Modi as a supporting character through news clips
- Narrative conflates fictional heroism alongside government policy endorsement
- Films blur the boundaries between entertainment and state propaganda deliberately
The Transformation of Bollywood’s Philosophical Change
The box office performance of the “Dhurandhar” duology signals a profound transformation in Bollywood’s relationship with nationalist thought and government authority. Whilst the Indian cinema sector 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 box office dominance—with the opening film emerging as the highest-grossing Hindi-language film in India upon its December release—shows that viewers are growing more receptive to entertainment that seamlessly integrates political propaganda. This receptiveness suggests a fundamental change in what Indian viewers consider acceptable film content, moving beyond the understated ideological framing of earlier films towards direct governmental promotion.
The implications of this change extend beyond mere box office figures. By attaining extraordinary financial performance whilst explicitly merging fictional heroism with state policy, the “Dhurandhar” films have effectively legitimised a fresh blueprint for Indian film production. Upcoming directors now possess a established model for combining patriotic feeling with box office returns, potentially establishing politically-driven cinema as a enduring and profitable genre. This shift reflects larger cultural shifts within India, where the dividing lines separating entertainment, nationalism, and state messaging have become less distinct, generating significant inquiries about cinema’s role in shaping political consciousness and national identity.
A Trend of Patriotic Cinema
The “Dhurandhar” duology does not emerge in a vacuum but rather constitutes the culmination of a expanding movement within modern Indian film. The past few years have seen a proliferation of films utilising nationalist rhetoric and anti-Muslim framing, including “The Kashmir Files,” “The Kerala Story,” and “The Taj Story.” These productions possess a common ideological framework that reinterprets Indian history through a Hindu-centric lens whilst portraying Muslims as existential threats. However, what sets apart the “Dhurandhar” films from these earlier works is their better filmmaking craft and production quality, which give their propaganda a sheen of artistic credibility that more artless Islamophobic films lack.
This difference proves especially concerning because the “Dhurandhar” two-film series’ cinematic craft and audience engagement conceal its inherently ideological nature. Where films like “The Kashmir Files” operate as blunt political instruments, the “Dhurandhar” series deploys professional technique to make its political messaging acceptable to mainstream audiences. The franchise thus represents a concerning development: ideological content enhanced through professional filmmaking into what resembles state-sanctioned cinema. This refined method to political narrative may prove more influential in affecting popular sentiment than more obviously inflammatory films, as audiences may absorb propagandistic material when it arrives wrapped in compelling entertainment.
Cinematic Technique Versus Political Messaging
The “Dhurandhar” duology’s most insidious quality lies in its marriage of cinematic mastery with nationalist ideology. Director Aditya Dhar exhibits substantial expertise of the action thriller genre, crafting sequences of visceral intensity and plot propulsion that captivate audiences. This cinematic proficiency becomes problematic precisely because it acts as a medium for ideological messaging, reshaping what might otherwise be crude political messaging into something significantly seductive and persuasive. The films’ refined visual presentation, sophisticated cinematography, and strong performances by actors like Ranveer Singh provide plausibility to their fundamentally divisive narratives, making their political content more palatable to wider audiences who might otherwise reject overtly inflammatory material.
This intersection of artistic merit and propagandistic intent creates a unique challenge for cinematic analysis and cultural analysis. Audiences frequently struggle to distinguish between aesthetic appreciation from political analysis, especially when entertainment appeal proves genuinely compelling. The “Dhurandhar” films leverage this conflict deliberately, banking on the notion that audiences engaged with exciting action scenes will internalise their underlying messages without critical resistance. The risk grows because the films’ technical achievements grant them credibility within critical conversation, allowing their nationalist ideals to circulate more widely and shape public consciousness 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 turns ideological material into popular media
- Sophisticated filmmaking masks ideological messaging from rigorous analysis
- Filmmaking skill elevates patriotic messaging past blunt inflammatory language
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 nationalist fervour increasingly determines box office performance and cultural relevance. Where once Bollywood operated as a forum for multiple perspectives and alternative standpoints, the ascendancy of these nationalist action films suggests a contraction in acceptable discourse. The films’ extraordinary performance indicates that audiences are becoming more drawn to entertainment that explicitly validates state power and positions dissent as treachery. This shift demonstrates increased public polarization, yet cinema’s particular power to shape public imagination means its ideological leanings carry particular weight in affecting political attitudes and political attitudes.
The consequences go further than mere entertainment preferences. When a country’s film industry consistently produces stories that celebrate state power and vilify external enemies, it risks ossifying collective views and restricting meaningful dialogue with intricate international political dynamics. The “Dhurandhar” films illustrate this danger by portraying their worldview not as one perspective among many, but as objective truth combined with production quality and star power. For commentators and media analysts, this marks a watershed moment: Indian cinema’s evolution from occasionally accommodating government objectives to actively functioning as a propaganda machine, albeit one considerably more refined than its earlier incarnations.
Propaganda Presented as Entertainment
The pernicious nature of the “Dhurandhar” duology lies in its intentional concealment of political messaging within layers of cinematic craft. Director Aditya Dhar develops intricate action set-pieces and character arcs that demand viewer engagement, effectively distracting 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 within entertaining narratives, the films accomplish what cruder political messaging cannot: they convert ideology into spectacle, rendering viewers complicit in their own ideological conditioning whilst considering themselves simply entertained.
This strategy demonstrates particularly successful because it functions beneath active perception. Viewers engrossed by exhilarating action sequences and poignant character development absorb the films’ underlying messages—that forceful state intervention is essential, that enemies are irredeemable, that self-sacrifice for state interests is honourable—without recognising the manipulation occurring. The refined visual composition, compelling performances, and genuine technical accomplishment lend credibility to these narratives, making them appear less like persuasive messaging and more like true storytelling. This appearance of authenticity allows the films’ divisive ideology to infiltrate general understanding far more effectively than explicitly provocative content ever would.
What This Means for International Viewers
The international success of the “Dhurandhar” duology presents a concerning precedent for how state-backed cinema can transcend geographical boundaries and cultural contexts. As streaming services like Netflix distribute these films globally, audiences in Western nations and elsewhere encounter sophisticated propaganda wrapped in the familiar language of espionage thrillers and action cinema. Without the cultural and political literacy required to decode the films’ nationalist rhetoric, overseas audiences may inadvertently consume and legitimise Indian state ideology, substantially broadening the reach of propagandistic narratives far outside their intended domestic audience. This globalisation of politically charged content raises urgent questions about platform responsibility and the moral dimensions of distributing state-sponsored cinema to unsuspecting international audiences.
Furthermore, the “Dhurandhar” films create a troubling template that other countries could try to emulate. If government-backed film can secure both critical acclaim and box office success whilst promoting nationalist agendas, rival administrations—particularly those with authoritarian tendencies—may identify cinema as a distinctly potent tool for ideological dissemination. The films demonstrate that propaganda doesn’t have to be crude or obvious to be effective; rather, when combined with authentic creative talent and substantial budgets, it becomes almost inescapable. For global audiences and movie reviewers, the duology’s success indicates a concerning future where popular entertainment and state communication become progressively harder to distinguish.
