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 political leanings. The initial chapter, released in December 2025, became the top-earning Hindi film in India before being separated into two parts in the post-production phase. Now, with the second instalment “Dhurandhar: The Revenge” currently dominating cinemas throughout the nation, the spy saga is poised to cement what various commentators regard as a worrying change in Indian popular cinema: the wholesale embrace of nationalist-leaning stories that openly seek official support and leverage patriotic feeling. The films’ brazen conflation of commercial entertainment and state narratives has rekindled discussions concerning Bollywood’s connections with political influence, 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 deliberately positioned before Modi’s 2014 election victory, establishes its ideological framework through protagonists who consistently express their yearning for a leader willing to take decisive action against both external and internal threats. This strategic timing allows the narrative to frame Modi’s later ascent to leadership as the solution for the nation’s prayers, converting what appears to be a conventional spy thriller into an comprehensive validation of the administration’s stance on homeland defence and armed action.
The sequel intensifies this promotional agenda by presenting Modi himself as an virtually ever-present supporting character through deliberately inserted news footage and government broadcasts. Rather than enabling the fictional narrative to operate on its own, the filmmakers have woven the Prime Minister’s real likeness and rhetoric throughout the story, significantly erasing the boundaries between entertainment and government messaging. This intentional storytelling decision distinguishes the “Dhurandhar” films from prior cases of Bollywood’s political positioning, elevating them from subtle ideological positioning to explicit governmental advocacy that transforms cinema into a tool for political validation.
- First film prays for a powerful leader before Modi’s electoral triumph
- Sequel features Modi in a supporting character via news clips
- Narrative conflates fictional heroism alongside government policy endorsement
- Films blur the boundaries between entertainment and also state propaganda intentionally
The Evolution of Bollywood’s Philosophical Change
The commercial success of the “Dhurandhar” duology signals a significant shift in Bollywood’s relationship with nationalist ideology and government authority. Whilst the Indian cinema sector has traditionally upheld strong connections to political establishments, the explicit character of these films constitutes a meaningful change in how overtly cinema now channels state communications. The franchise’s commercial supremacy—with the opening film emerging as the highest-grossing Hindi-language film in India following its December launch—shows that viewers are growing more receptive to content that smoothly incorporates political propaganda. This receptiveness suggests a basic shift in what Indian audiences regard as acceptable cinematic content, progressing past the subtle ideological positioning of earlier films towards direct governmental promotion.
The implications of this shift extend beyond mere commercial performance. By achieving extraordinary financial performance whilst openly conflating cinematic heroics with state policy, the “Dhurandhar” films have effectively endorsed a novel framework for Indian film production. Upcoming directors now have access to a established model for blending nationalist sentiment with box office returns, potentially establishing propagandistic cinema as a enduring and profitable genre. This development indicates wider social changes within India, where the boundaries between entertainment, nationalism, and state messaging have grown more blurred, generating significant inquiries about the cinema’s influence in shaping political consciousness and sense of nationhood.
A Trend of Patriotic Cinema
The “Dhurandhar” duology does not emerge in a vacuum but rather constitutes the apotheosis of a expanding movement within modern Indian film. The past few years have witnessed a proliferation of films employing nationalist rhetoric and anti-Muslim framing, including “The Kashmir Files,” “The Kerala Story,” and “The Taj Story.” These productions possess a shared ideological structure that reinterprets Indian history through a Hindu-centric lens whilst portraying Muslims as existential threats. However, what sets apart the “Dhurandhar” films from these predecessors is their superior cinematic execution and production quality, which lend their propaganda a sheen of artistic credibility that more crude anti-Muslim productions lack.
This differentiation demonstrates notably problematic because the “Dhurandhar” duology’s technical sophistication and audience engagement conceal its essentially propagandist nature. Where films like “The Kashmir Files” function as blunt political instruments, the “Dhurandhar” series utilises professional technique to render its nationalist agenda acceptable to mass audiences. The franchise thus embodies a concerning development: propaganda elevated through professional filmmaking into what resembles state-sanctioned cinema. This sophisticated approach to nationalist messaging may become increasingly impactful in influencing audience views than overtly provocative films, as audiences may embrace political messaging when it comes packaged in compelling entertainment.
Cinematic Technique Versus Political Narratives
The “Dhurandhar” duology’s most troubling quality lies in its marriage of production sophistication with ideological extremism. Director Aditya Dhar exhibits substantial expertise of the thriller genre, constructing sequences of raw power and storytelling drive that enthrall audiences. This technical competence becomes concerning precisely because it functions as a conduit for ideological messaging, converting what might otherwise be blunt political content into something far more alluring and convincing. The films’ glossy production values, accomplished visual composition, and powerful acting by actors like Ranveer Singh add legitimacy to their inherently polarizing narratives, making their ideological messaging more palatable to mainstream viewers who might otherwise dismiss overtly inflammatory material.
This combination of artistic merit and propagandistic intent creates a distinctive difficulty for film criticism and cultural commentary. Audiences often find it difficult to distinguish between artistic enjoyment from political critique, particularly when entertainment appeal proves genuinely compelling. The “Dhurandhar” films leverage this tension deliberately, relying on the idea that audiences engaged with exciting action scenes will absorb their embedded messaging without critical resistance. The risk intensifies because the films’ technical achievements grant them credibility within critical conversation, allowing their nationalist ideology to spread more extensively 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 |
- Professional quality turns propagandistic content into popular media
- Polished production techniques masks ideological undertones from close examination
- Cinematic craft elevates patriotic messaging above raw inflammatory speech
The Troubling Ramifications for Indian Cinema
The box office and critical success of the “Dhurandhar” duology indicates a potentially troubling trajectory for Indian cinema, one in which nationalistic sentiment increasingly determines box office performance and cultural significance. Where once Bollywood functioned as a forum for diverse narratives and differing opinions, the rise of these nationalist action films suggests a reduction of acceptable discourse. The films’ unprecedented success indicates that audiences are increasingly receptive to entertainment that explicitly validates state power and characterises opposition as treachery. This shift mirrors increased public polarization, yet cinema’s distinctive ability to shape public imagination means its ideological leanings carry particular weight in affecting political attitudes and political attitudes.
The ramifications extend beyond simple viewing habits. When a country’s cinema sector consistently produces stories that celebrate government authority and demonise foreign adversaries, it risks calcifying collective views and limiting meaningful dialogue with intricate geopolitical realities. The “Dhurandhar” films demonstrate this risk by presenting their perspective not as one perspective among many, but as factual reality wrapped in production quality and celebrity appeal. For commentators and cultural observers, this marks a watershed moment: Indian cinema’s shift 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 pernicious nature of the “Dhurandhar” duology rests upon its calculated obscuring of political messaging under layers of cinematic craft. Director Aditya Dhar constructs elaborate action sequences and character arcs that demand viewer engagement, effectively distracting from the films’ constant endorsement of nationalist ideology and blind faith in state institutions. The protagonist’s journey, purportedly a personal quest for redemption, works at once as a exaltation of governmental power and military might. By incorporating propagandistic content within entertaining narratives, the films achieve what cruder political messaging cannot: they transform ideology into spectacle, making audiences complicit in their own ideological conditioning whilst regarding themselves as merely entertained.
This strategy demonstrates particularly effective because it functions beneath active perception. Viewers engrossed by thrilling set pieces and intimate character scenes take in the films’ fundamental narratives—that decisive governmental control is essential, that adversaries lack redemption, that individual sacrifice for governmental objectives is noble—without detecting the manipulation at work. The polished camera work, engaging portrayals, and authentic craftsmanship lend credibility to these accounts, making them appear less like propaganda and more like genuine narrative. This appearance of authenticity enables the films’ contentious beliefs to infiltrate popular awareness far with greater success than explicitly provocative content ever could.
What This Means for Worldwide Audiences
The global popularity of the “Dhurandhar” duology raises a concerning pattern for how state-aligned cinema can transcend geographical boundaries and cultural contexts. As streaming services like Netflix distribute these films worldwide, audiences in Western nations and elsewhere encounter sophisticated propaganda wrapped in the familiar language of espionage thrillers and action cinema. Without the understanding of cultural and political contexts required to decode the films’ nationalist rhetoric, overseas audiences may unknowingly absorb and validate Indian state ideology, substantially broadening the reach of propagandistic narratives far beyond their intended domestic audience. This globalisation of politically charged content raises critical concerns about platform accountability and the ethical implications of distributing state-backed films to unsuspecting international audiences.
Furthermore, the “Dhurandhar” films create a troubling template that other nations may seek to emulate. If government-backed film can achieve both critical recognition and box office success whilst advancing nationalist agendas, other states—particularly those prone to authoritarianism—may identify cinema as a distinctly potent tool for ideological propagation. The films show that propaganda doesn’t have to be crude or obvious to be effective; rather, when combined with authentic creative talent and significant funding, it becomes virtually unavoidable. For global audiences and cinema critics, the duology’s success suggests a concerning future where entertainment and state messaging become ever more difficult to tell apart.
