Aditya Dhar’s “Dhurandhar” duology has become a watershed moment for Hindi cinema, signalling a pronounced transformation in Bollywood’s subject matter focus and political leanings. The opening film, launched in December 2025, turned out to be the highest-grossing Hindi-language film in India before being split into two parts during post-production. Now, with the follow-up “Dhurandhar: The Revenge” presently commanding cinemas across the country, the intelligence-based narrative is positioned to establish what various commentators regard as a concerning transformation in Indian mainstream film: the wholesale embrace of patriotic-inflected tales that explicitly court official support and exploit national pride. The films’ overt blending of entertainment and state propaganda has rekindled discussions concerning Bollywood’s ties to political authority, especially during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration.
From Intelligence Thriller to Political Declaration
The narrative structure of the “Dhurandhar” duology demonstrates a calculated progression from escapism to ideological advocacy. The first film strategically set before Modi’s 2014 electoral triumph, establishes its political foundation through protagonists who consistently express their desperation for a leader willing to take decisive action against both foreign and domestic threats. This strategic timing allows the narrative to frame Modi’s subsequent rise to power as the solution for the nation’s prayers, transforming what seems like a conventional spy thriller into an comprehensive validation of the administration’s approach to national security and armed action.
The sequel heightens this promotional agenda by showcasing Modi himself as an near-constant supporting character through strategically placed news footage and government broadcasts. Rather than allowing the fictional narrative to stand independently, the filmmakers have interwoven the Prime Minister’s genuine appearance and rhetoric throughout the story, effectively blurring the boundaries between entertainment and government messaging. This calculated narrative approach distinguishes the “Dhurandhar” films from prior cases of Bollywood’s political alignment, elevating them from subtle ideological positioning to direct state promotion that transforms cinema into a tool for political validation.
- First film appeals for a strong leader ahead of Modi’s election victory
- Sequel features Modi in a supporting character via news clips
- Narrative merges fictional heroism with government policy approval
- Films erase the distinction between entertainment and state propaganda by design
The Evolution of Bollywood’s Ideological Evolution
The commercial success of the “Dhurandhar” duology signals a profound transformation in Bollywood’s relationship with nationalist ideology and government authority. Whilst the Indian cinema sector has historically maintained close ties with political establishments, the explicit character of these films constitutes a qualitative shift in how overtly cinema now channels state communications. The franchise’s commercial supremacy—with the first instalment becoming the highest-grossing Hindi-language film in India following its December launch—shows that viewers are growing more receptive to entertainment that seamlessly integrates political propaganda. This receptiveness indicates a fundamental change in what Indian audiences consider acceptable film content, moving beyond the subtle ideological positioning of prior cinema toward direct governmental promotion.
The consequences of this change extend beyond simple box office figures. By achieving unprecedented commercial success whilst openly conflating fictional heroism with state policy, the “Dhurandhar” films have effectively endorsed a new template for Indian film production. Future filmmakers now have access to a established model for merging patriotic feeling with box office returns, conceivably fostering state-aligned filmmaking as a sustainable and profitable genre. This development demonstrates larger cultural shifts within India, where the boundaries between cinema, patriotism, and official discourse have become increasingly porous, raising significant inquiries about film’s function in forming public awareness of politics and sense of nationhood.
A Trend of National Cinema
The “Dhurandhar” duology does not appear in a vacuum but rather represents the culmination of a expanding movement within modern Indian film. The past few years have seen a surge of films utilising nationalist rhetoric and anti-Muslim framing, including “The Kashmir Files,” “The Kerala Story,” and “The Taj Story.” These productions share a common ideological framework that recasts Indian history through a Hindu-centred perspective whilst portraying Muslims as fundamental dangers. However, what distinguishes the “Dhurandhar” films from these predecessors is their better filmmaking craft and production values, which give their propaganda a veneer of artistic legitimacy that more artless Islamophobic films do not possess.
This difference proves especially troubling because the “Dhurandhar” duology’s production quality and entertainment value mask its fundamentally propagandistic nature. Where films like “The Kashmir Files” serve as blunt political instruments, the “Dhurandhar” series deploys filmmaking expertise to make its political messaging appealing to mainstream audiences. The franchise thus constitutes a dangerous evolution: propaganda elevated through professional filmmaking into material bordering on state-sanctioned cinema. This polished strategy to ideological content may prove more influential in affecting popular sentiment than overtly provocative films, as audiences may accept political messaging when it arrives wrapped in engaging storytelling.
Film Production Versus Political Messaging
The “Dhurandhar” duology’s most insidious quality lies in its combination of cinematic mastery with political radicalism. Director Aditya Dhar demonstrates considerable mastery of the action thriller genre, assembling sequences of emotional force and plot propulsion that captivate audiences. This filmmaking skill becomes concerning precisely because it serves as a medium for political propaganda, reshaping what might otherwise be crude political messaging into something significantly alluring and convincing. The films’ polished aesthetic, sophisticated cinematography, and powerful acting by actors like Ranveer Singh add legitimacy to their deeply divisive narratives, turning their political content more palatable to mainstream viewers who might otherwise reject explicitly provocative content.
This combination of artistic merit and ideological messaging establishes a unique challenge for cinematic analysis and cultural commentary. Audiences frequently struggle to distinguish between aesthetic appreciation from political critique, especially when entertainment appeal proves genuinely compelling. The “Dhurandhar” films leverage this conflict deliberately, relying on the notion that audiences engaged with exciting action scenes will absorb their underlying messages without critical scrutiny. The danger grows because the films’ technical achievements bestow them credibility within critical conversation, allowing their nationalist ideals to spread more extensively and shape public opinion more successfully 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 propagandistic content into popular media
- Advanced cinematography conceals ideological messaging from rigorous analysis
- Filmmaking skill lifts patriotic messaging beyond blunt inflammatory language
The Problematic Ramifications for Indian Cinema
The commercial and critical success of the “Dhurandhar” duology suggests a worrying trajectory for Indian cinema, one in which patriotic fervor grows to influence box office performance and cultural significance. Where once Bollywood served as a forum for varied storytelling and differing opinions, the rise of these jingoistic thrillers suggests a contraction in acceptable discourse. The films’ extraordinary performance indicates that audiences are increasingly receptive to entertainment that openly champions state power and positions dissent as treachery. This shift demonstrates broader societal polarisation, yet cinema’s particular power to shape shared cultural consciousness means its ideological stance carry particular weight in influencing public consciousness and political attitudes.
The consequences go further than mere viewing habits. When a country’s cinema sector regularly generates stories that glorify government authority and portray negatively foreign adversaries, it risks ossifying collective views and limiting meaningful dialogue with complex geopolitical realities. The “Dhurandhar” films exemplify this danger by presenting their perspective not as a single viewpoint amongst others, but as factual reality combined with production quality and star power. For commentators and cultural observers, this marks a watershed moment: Indian cinema’s evolution from sometimes serving government objectives to deliberately operating as a propaganda apparatus, albeit one considerably more refined than its historical predecessors.
Propaganda Dressed up as Entertainment
The troubling nature of the “Dhurandhar” duology rests upon its deliberate obfuscation of political messaging beneath layers of cinematic craft. Director Aditya Dhar crafts intricate action set-pieces and character arcs that command viewer attention, effectively distracting from the films’ persistent advancement of nationalist ideology and uncritical belief in state institutions. The protagonist’s journey, ostensibly a personal quest for redemption, operates concurrently as a glorification of governmental power and military might. By incorporating propagandistic content throughout engaging narratives, the films accomplish what cruder political messaging cannot: they convert ideology into spectacle, turning audiences complicit in their own ideological conditioning whilst regarding themselves as merely entertained.
This strategy proves particularly successful because it operates beneath active perception. Viewers captivated by thrilling set pieces and emotional character moments absorb the films’ core themes—that decisive governmental control is essential, that adversaries lack redemption, that individual sacrifice for state interests is noble—without acknowledging the manipulation occurring. The refined visual composition, compelling performances, and authentic craftsmanship lend credibility to these accounts, making them appear less like propaganda and more like true storytelling. This appearance of authenticity permits the films’ divisive ideology to penetrate general understanding far more effectively than overtly inflammatory material ever would.
What This Implies for International Viewers
The international success of the “Dhurandhar” duology raises a concerning pattern for how state-backed cinema can cross geographic borders and cultural contexts. As streaming services like Netflix distribute these films worldwide, audiences in Western nations and beyond encounter advanced propagandistic content wrapped in the familiar language of espionage thrillers and action cinema. Without the understanding of cultural and political contexts needed to interpret the films’ nationalist rhetoric, international viewers may inadvertently absorb and validate Indian state-sponsored ideology, effectively extending the reach of propagandistic narratives far outside their original domestic viewership. This globalisation of politically sensitive material poses critical concerns about platform accountability and the moral dimensions of circulating state-backed films to unsuspecting international audiences.
Furthermore, the “Dhurandhar” films create a disquieting template that rival states may seek to emulate. If state-aligned cinema can achieve both critical recognition and box office success whilst promoting nationalist agendas, rival administrations—particularly those with authoritarian leanings—may recognise cinema as a uniquely powerful tool for the spread of ideology. The films show that propaganda need not be crude or obvious to be effective; rather, when coupled with genuine artistic talent and substantial budgets, it becomes nearly irresistible. For international viewers and film critics, the duology’s success indicates a concerning future where entertainment and government messaging become progressively harder to distinguish.
