‘So much blood and mayhem’: Shashi Tharoor reviews Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar, questions propaganda, gruesome violence and portrayal of India-Pakistan
Here's the latest update from the Bollywood world:
Congress Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor has lauded Ranveer Singh ’s Dhurandhar films for their filmmaking and performances, but he has reservations about the violence and political messaging in the franchise. After watching both parts of Aditya Dhar ’s spy thriller, the politician shared he enjoyed the sequel Dhurandhar: The Revenge more than the first movie. However, he felt several violent scenes were unnecessarily graphic and questioned how the films portray India-Pakistan relations. The two installments, rolled out in December 2025 and March 2026, have as per reports collected more than ₹ 3,100 crore rupees worldwide.
Adding to this, Congress Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor has lauded Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar films for their filmmaking and performances, but he has reservations about the violence and political messaging in the franchise. Shashi Tharoor says Dhurandhar 2 is better than the first movie In an almost seven minute video posted on his official YouTube channel, Shashi shared his thoughts on both films and made it clear that the second instalment stood out for him. “As a work of fiction, as a work of entertainment, there is no doubt that the second part is superb,” he shared.
Meanwhile, While he appreciated the sequel as a work of entertainment, he was critical of the violence shown in the franchise. He felt the filmmakers could have told the story without relying on so many disturbing scenes. “There was no need to show so much violence, blood, mayhem, cruelty and some of the most disgusting scenes ever seen in Indian cinema,” he added, describing the graphic content as “totally excessive and over the top.”
Notably, The Congress MP also spoke about the political messaging in Dhurandhar. The films have faced criticism over their portrayal of Pakistan, and Shashi acknowledged that such themes could influence how audiences view the relationship between the two countries. He referred to reports of bans in Pakistan and several Gulf nations, where concerns were as per reports raised about the films potentially worsening tensions between Indians and Pakistanis.
As per the latest buzz, “Things that I don't like; there is far too much gruesome violence. It was totally excessive and over the top. There was no need to show so much of violence, blood and mayhem, cruelty and some of the most disgusting scenes ever seen in Indian cinema,” he shared. “There is a lot of propaganda stuff built into it obviously and I gather the movie has been banned in many countries, not just in Pakistan, but many of the Gulf countries have banned it, saying it would needlessly create bad blood between Indians and Pakistanis, so I can understand those feelings,” the politician added.
In further updates, He also wondered how Pakistani viewers might react if they watched the films. He suggested that some dialogues might be received with humour, while other parts could lead audiences to reflect on actions carried out in their country's name. “I don’t know how Pakistanis will react if they see this. Some of the lines, I think Pakistanis will laugh. Some of the other things, I think Pakistanis will realise how much wrong has been done in their name,” he went onto say.
On top of that, Dhurandhar follows an undercover intelligence operative Jaskirat Singh Rangi alias Hamza Ali Mazari, with the story featuring secret missions and high-stakes operations. Shashi shared his own interactions with intelligence officials had been very different from what the films show. He explained that his experience involved discussions, analysis and sharing information, rather than the dramatic, covert operations depicted on screen.
“I have dealt with a lot of our intelligence people but in a very civilised way, having analysis, conversations, information exchanges but not really getting into any cloak and dagger stuff. I am certainly not aware of commands being given that lead to explosions in faraway capitals. That’s not the world I have ever lived in,” he explained.
Source: Hindustan Times