Aditya Dhar’s “Dhurandhar” duology has established itself as a watershed moment for Hindi cinema, marking a significant change in Bollywood’s thematic preoccupations and ideological positions. The first instalment, released in December 2025, proved to be the biggest box office success in India before being separated into two parts in the post-production phase. Now, with the second instalment “Dhurandhar: The Revenge” currently dominating cinemas across the country, the spy saga is set to solidify what numerous critics consider to be a troubling shift in Indian mainstream film: the blanket endorsement of patriotic-inflected tales that deliberately pursue state approval and exploit national pride. The films’ overt blending of entertainment and governmental messaging has rekindled debates about Bollywood’s relationship with political power, especially during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s administration.
From Spy Thriller to Political Statement
The storytelling framework of the “Dhurandhar” duology demonstrates a calculated progression from entertainment to political messaging. The first film deliberately positioned before Modi’s 2014 election victory, sets up its political foundation through characters who repeatedly voice their desperation for a leader willing to take decisive action against both external and internal threats. This temporal positioning allows the narrative to frame Modi’s later ascent to leadership as the answer to the nation’s prayers, converting what seems like a conventional spy thriller into an comprehensive validation of the administration’s stance on national security and military aggression.
The sequel heightens this ideological drive by presenting Modi himself as an almost omnipresent supporting character through deliberately inserted news footage and government broadcasts. Rather than permitting 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 state communication. This intentional storytelling decision distinguishes the “Dhurandhar” films from previous instances of Bollywood’s political alignment, elevating them from understated ideological messaging to direct state promotion that transforms cinema into a vehicle for political legitimacy.
- First film prays for a powerful leader ahead of Modi’s electoral triumph
- Sequel includes Modi in a supporting character through news clips
- Narrative conflates fictional heroism with government policy approval
- Films erase the distinction between entertainment and state propaganda intentionally
The Development of Bollywood’s Ideological Shift
The commercial success of the “Dhurandhar” duology indicates a significant shift in Bollywood’s relationship with nationalist ideology and government authority. Whilst the Indian cinema sector has historically maintained strong connections to political establishments, the explicit character of these films represents a meaningful change in how overtly cinema now conveys state communications. The franchise’s box office dominance—with the opening film becoming the top-earning Hindi film in India upon its December release—shows that audiences are increasingly receptive to content that smoothly incorporates state messaging. This receptiveness indicates a fundamental change in what Indian viewers regard as acceptable cinematic content, progressing past the understated ideological framing of prior cinema toward direct governmental promotion.
The consequences of this change extend beyond mere commercial performance. By attaining unprecedented commercial success whilst explicitly merging cinematic heroics with governmental policy, the “Dhurandhar” films have effectively legitimised a new template for Indian film production. Future filmmakers now have access to a proven blueprint for merging nationalist sentiment with financial gains, conceivably fostering propagandistic cinema as a viable and lucrative genre. This development reflects larger cultural shifts within India, where the dividing lines separating entertainment, nationalism, and state messaging have become increasingly porous, generating significant inquiries about film’s function in influencing public awareness of politics and sense of nationhood.
A Example of Nationalist Cinema
The “Dhurandhar” duology does not appear in a vacuum but rather constitutes the culmination of a expanding movement within modern Indian film. The past few years have witnessed a surge of films utilising nationalist messaging and anti-Muslim narratives, including “The Kashmir Files,” “The Kerala Story,” and “The Taj Story.” These films share a common ideological framework that recasts Indian history through a Hindu-centric lens whilst depicting Muslims as existential threats. However, what distinguishes the “Dhurandhar” films from these predecessors is their superior cinematic execution and production quality, which give their propaganda a veneer of artistic legitimacy that more crude anti-Muslim productions lack.
This distinction proves particularly troubling because the “Dhurandhar” duology’s production quality and popular appeal obscure its essentially propagandist nature. Where films like “The Kashmir Files” function as simplistic propagandist instruments, the “Dhurandhar” series employs filmmaking expertise to render its political messaging acceptable to general viewers. The franchise thus constitutes a concerning development: ideological content enhanced through sophisticated production into material bordering on officially-backed production. This polished strategy to ideological content may become increasingly impactful in influencing audience views than more obviously inflammatory films, as audiences may accept political messaging when it arrives wrapped in compelling entertainment.
Film Production Versus Political Narratives
The “Dhurandhar” duology’s most troubling quality lies in its fusion of production sophistication with political radicalism. Director Aditya Dhar displays substantial expertise of the action thriller genre, constructing sequences of emotional force and narrative momentum that enthrall audiences. This filmmaking skill becomes concerning precisely because it acts as a vehicle for ideological messaging, transforming what might otherwise be crude political messaging into something considerably compelling and influential. The films’ refined visual presentation, skilled camera work, and strong performances by actors like Ranveer Singh lend credibility to their fundamentally divisive narratives, rendering their political message more acceptable to general audiences who might otherwise dismiss blatantly incendiary messaging.
This combination of creative excellence and ideological messaging presents a distinctive difficulty for film criticism and cultural analysis. Audiences frequently struggle to separate artistic enjoyment from political analysis, particularly when entertainment appeal proves genuinely compelling. The “Dhurandhar” films exploit this tension intentionally, banking on the idea that viewers absorbed in thrilling action sequences will absorb their embedded messaging without critical scrutiny. The danger intensifies because the films’ technical achievements grant them legitimacy within critical discourse, enabling their nationalist ideology to circulate more widely and shape public consciousness more successfully than earlier, more simplistic examples 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 |
- Professional quality converts ideological material into popular media
- Polished production techniques masks political messaging from close examination
- Filmmaking skill lifts patriotic messaging beyond raw inflammatory speech
The Concerning Implications for Indian Film Industry
The box office and critical success of the “Dhurandhar” duology suggests a worrying 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 varied storytelling and competing viewpoints, the rise of these nationalist action films suggests a contraction in acceptable discourse. The films’ extraordinary performance indicates that audiences are growing more accepting of entertainment that directly endorses state power and positions dissent as treachery. This shift demonstrates broader societal polarisation, yet cinema’s particular power to shape collective imagination means its political orientation carry significant influence in influencing public consciousness and political attitudes.
The consequences go further than simple entertainment preferences. When a nation’s cinema sector regularly generates stories that celebrate government authority and vilify external enemies, it runs the danger of ossifying public opinion and limiting meaningful dialogue with complex geopolitical realities. The “Dhurandhar” films exemplify this risk by presenting their worldview not as a single viewpoint amongst others, but as objective truth combined with technical excellence and celebrity appeal. For commentators and media analysts, this marks a watershed moment: Indian film industry’s shift from occasionally accommodating state interests to actively functioning as a propaganda machine, albeit one far more sophisticated than its earlier incarnations.
Propaganda Presented as Entertainment
The troubling nature of the “Dhurandhar” duology lies in its deliberate obfuscation of political messaging beneath layers of cinematic craft. Director Aditya Dhar crafts complex action scenes and character arcs that capture audience attention, deftly deflecting from the films’ persistent advancement of nationalist ideology and unquestioning faith in state institutions. The protagonist’s journey, purportedly a personal quest for redemption, operates concurrently as a glorification of governmental power and military might. By incorporating propagandistic content within entertaining narratives, the films attain what cruder political messaging cannot: they reshape ideology into spectacle, turning audiences complicit in their own ideological conditioning whilst considering themselves simply entertained.
This strategy shows particularly effective because it functions beneath active perception. Viewers captivated by exhilarating action sequences and intimate character scenes absorb the films’ core themes—that strong-handed government action is required, that adversaries lack redemption, that individual sacrifice for national priorities is noble—without acknowledging the manipulation at work. The sophisticated cinematography, powerful acting, and authentic craftsmanship add legitimacy to these stories, making them appear less like ideological material and more like authentic storytelling. This veneer of legitimacy enables the films’ contentious beliefs to reach popular awareness far with greater success than openly divisive messaging ever could.
What This Signifies for Worldwide Audiences
The international success of the “Dhurandhar” duology presents a troubling precedent for how state-backed cinema can cross geographic borders and cultural differences. As streaming services like Netflix release these films worldwide, audiences in Western countries and elsewhere encounter advanced propagandistic content wrapped in the familiar language of espionage thrillers and action cinema. Without the cultural and political literacy needed to interpret the films’ nationalist messaging, overseas audiences 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 raises critical concerns about platform responsibility and the ethical implications of circulating state-backed films to unaware overseas viewers.
Furthermore, the “Dhurandhar” films create a concerning template that other nations could try to emulate. If state-sponsored filmmaking can attain both critical recognition and financial returns whilst furthering nationalist agendas, other governments—particularly those with authoritarian tendencies—may identify cinema as a exceptionally influential tool for the spread of ideology. The films illustrate that propaganda need not be crude or obvious to be effective; rather, when combined with authentic creative talent and substantial budgets, it becomes virtually unavoidable. For international viewers and movie reviewers, the duology’s success suggests a worrying prospect where entertainment and state messaging become progressively harder to distinguish.
