Dhruv Rathee slams 'Dhurandhar' as 'propaganda'; gets brutally trolled
What's the story
YouTuber Dhruv Rathee has slammed the Ranveer Singh-starrer Dhurandhar for its political narrative, calling it "false propaganda." The film, directed by Aditya Dhar, has sparked a debate over its portrayal of real-life incidents and political messaging. The movie has been a massive hit, raking in nearly ₹800 crore globally in just 16 days. Following Rathee's assault on the film, the creator is being trolled on social media.
Film critique
What Rathee says in his video
In a nearly 30-minute video, Rathee accused Dhar of spreading "nonsense propaganda" through Dhurandhar. He criticized the film for its violent content and claimed makers cannot call it "fictional" at times and then also sprinkle in real incidents, calling it inspired by real events. He also showed an AI movie called Bhawandar to call out the dichotomy of makers. However, netizens didn't quite support Rathee's POV.
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Outrage has been widespread
I was planning to watch Dhurandhar on OTT but after watching Dhruv Rathee’s video, I am going to watch it in theatres today no matter the price pic.twitter.com/fcL4rqVJc5
— Abhishek (@be_mewadi) December 20, 2025
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Somebody noted how Rathee's video was getting 'Dhurandhar' ad
Dhruv Rathee made a video attacking the Dhurandhar movie.
— Based Hindu 🚩 (@BasedMohit) December 21, 2025
And YouTube is running Dhurandhar's ad on his video itself.
Absolute cinema 😂😂😂 pic.twitter.com/jO6mWk3Mvz
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Some users supported Rathee, too
Dhruv Rathee created a fictional scenario & explained propaganda of Dhurandhar
— Veena Jain (@Vtxt21) December 21, 2025
Now Sanghis, who earlier denied any propaganda in Dhurandhar, claiming it was just a fictional movie, are calling this video propaganda against Modi. Why same fictional logic be applied here? 🤡 pic.twitter.com/lRnjK3YzEi
Actor's perspective
'Dhurandhar' actors defend film's political narrative
Before Rathee, many have criticized Dhurandhar's political messaging. However, actors Ankit Sagar and Danish Pandor have defended it. Sagar, who plays Javed Khanani in the movie, stated that R Madhavan's character Ajay Sanyal (loosely based on India's NSA chief Ajit Doval) was merely reflecting the situation in India at that time. Pandor, who plays Rehman Dakait's cousin Uzair Baloch, said that while he cannot comment on the political aspect of the film as an actor, "something must have happened."
Empathy focus
'Dhurandhar' actors emphasize empathy over political messaging
Pandor emphasized how Dhurandhar makes viewers empathize with the hostages during the 26/11 attacks. He said, "There were so many hostages inside...you couldn't realize what these guys will be going through." "But just that voice note which has been portrayed, which is being shown on the screen. You empathize immediately." The film also stars Akshaye Khanna, Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, and Sanjay Dutt.