While flaunting the pennant of Nationalism, Dhurandhar: The Revenge has surpassed all box office records and is being lauded across the world. After a long hiatus of blockbusters in Bollywood, the movie has opened a treasure trove for its director and managed to recall the long-absent audiences in the theatres. The film explicitly underscores the pangs and sufferings of the Indian Natives who have become victims of the demeaning brutality of terrorists, time to time and the mayhem they underwent. Yet it created havoc in the visionary minds of those who could not acknowledge and identify the current envisioning of India and its uproar on the global platforms. 

The critics have imputed the film as propaganda as if every humming and chanting of reality are a deed conducted in favour of the contemporary government.  Across the globe, these critics are infusing their wrath in their writings and on social media platforms. They label the film as providing a new kind of narrowly defined version of gore nationalism and depict it as a threat to Indian culture and its democratic values. While making it believable to link it with the immediate ruling, they also cite the examples from the film that it demeans the 2014 Congress governments as projecting their standing in the support of Pakistan-induced terrorism. According to these detractors, the delineation of demonetisation in the film has been portrayed incorrectly because, according to them, the demonetisation was a failure in eliminating terrorism and black money. These observers make a contradictory claim while appreciating the deaths of the terrorists before 2014 as a reality and the situations after 2014 as part of propaganda. 

Among the visible and invisible faces and the internal and external enemies, the crystal-clear depiction of external enemies and the detailing of internal threats in the consolidated groups of Khalistanis, Naxalites, Kashmir militants, NGOs, popular front of Kerala, the derogatory conduct in various universities against the nation, and many others in the film is utterly objectionable according to these critics. For these critics, it is absolutely up to the mark to address Hindus as cowards, but the chanting of Bharat Mata ki Jay symbolises gore Nationalism. 

Making a film is a mammoth task, and there has been a lot at stake. While producers ascertain the grand box office success for their films for their personal sake and for their crew members, they have to deal with the negative consequences, too. Not every film has been a success, and not every production house has the vast resources to make a grand film. The phenomenal success of Dhurandhar is difficult to digest for those who had perceived filmmaking only as their territory, an impregnable fortress where everything should be implemented according to their whims. It is interesting to note that by raising a nationalistic sentiment, Aditya Dhar has not dealt with something new or the makers were not vocalising patriotism earlier in the films, resonating the voices of the contemporary government’s policies.

The films like Haqeeqat (1964), Mother India (1957), Upkar (1967), Purab aur Paschim (1970), Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (1974), Kudrat Ka Kanoon (1987), Krantivir (1994), Chak De! India (2007), Rang De Basanti (2006) and many others reverberate with the concerns of contemporary rulings. Patriotic war film Haqeqqat(1964) supported Nehru’s government, while Mother India echoed Nehru’s vision too by glorifying resilience and sacrifice. Yet another film, Upkar, came out in 1967 and glorified soldiers and farmers. Purab aur Paschim echoed Indira’s nationalist revival while the film Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (1974) underscored Indira’s populist promises of Roti, Kapda aur Makaan. The 1987 film Kudrat Ka kanoon manifested Rajiv Gandhi’s reformist image by supporting faith in legal system. The film of P. V. Narasimha Rao’s era like Krantiveer also portrayed strengthening liberalization era and reinforced governance and law.  Movies like Border (1997), Lagaan (2001), and Swadesh (2004) resounded military sacrifices, themes of unity and resilience and underscored the developmental agenda, respectively. Chak De! India of 2007 and Rang De Basanti (2006) are aligned with the concept of inclusive governance of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and his reformist image. 

The director of Dhurandhar (Part One and Two), Aditya Dhar, who is well-known for projecting patriotic sentiments in his movies Uri: The Surgical Strike, Article 370, and Baramulla, etc., has executed the plot of the film Dhurandhar with subtle narration and vivid descriptions of the incidents. Dhar neither distorted the reality nor exaggerated the facts. While taking the same liberty from those shouting faces who always stand as the staunch supporters of the freedom of speech, Dhar has projected the state of affairs with notable certitude. The portrayal of music, scenery, violence and the upheaval of emotions has been delineated in full vigour and must not be considered as the very first attempt conducted by any filmmaker.  

Crude violence, voluptuous romance, flag-waving sentiments, mistreatments of women, etc., have always been inseparable and unavoidable segments of the film industry. Standing as a staunch supporter of women, these disparagers raise questions about the speech of Ajay Snayal (R. Madhavan, playing Ajit Doval), who reminds the protagonist of his duty as ‘man’. They forget their accolades of those movies where enormous hatred for women was deliberately portrayed, like in the recent film “Animal” and in many others before this. 

In fact, the movie has successfully strengthened the nationalistic sentiment, and the immense box office collection has brought a smile to so many faces. The opposition and the retaliation would only seem apt if it had never been done before in any form; otherwise, such a blemish would appear ruthless, derogatory and erroneous. In a scenario where the entertainment industry thrives largely on merchandise expansion and has to deal with it as a double-edged sword, Dhurandhar’s groundbreaking notability is the result of cultural preservation and market realities.