Congress MP Shashi Tharoor publicly denounced director Aditya Dhar’s espionage franchise ‘Dhurandhar’ on October 20, 2026, labeling the record-breaking blockbuster series as an aggressive vehicle for political propaganda marred by unprecedented cinematic brutality.

A Political Heavyweight Confronts Bollywood

In a detailed review published across his digital channels, the Thiruvananthapuram parliamentarian launched an unsparing critique against one of Indian cinema’s most profitable ventures. The two-part spy saga, headlined by Ranveer Singh, debuted its first installment in December 2025 followed by a concluding chapter in March 2026. Together, the projects amassed a staggering ₹3,100 crore at the worldwide box office. Yet, behind the commercial triumph lies a narrative that Tharoor argued crosses the boundary between thrilling fiction and calculated ideological messaging.

Tharoor expressed profound shock over the franchise’s visual sadism, taking sharp aim at what he identified as stomach-churning depictions of bloodshed designed purely for sensationalism. Rather than elevating the dramatic stakes of espionage, the films crossed an intolerable threshold of gratuitous cruelty, according to the lawmaker.

"There was no need to show so much violence, blood, mayhem, cruelty and some of the most disgusting scenes ever seen in Indian cinema."

Cross-Border Fallouts and International Bans

The geopolitical ramifications of ‘Dhurandhar’ have reverberated far beyond domestic cinema halls. The film faced official bans across Pakistan and multiple Gulf territories, regulatory decisions that Tharoor openly validated. He noted that authorities in those nations acted out of legitimate concern that the incendiary themes would deliberately poison relations and breed toxic animosity between Indian and Pakistani communities.

Weighing in on how audiences across the border might interpret the narrative, Tharoor suggested the response would likely be divided between disbelief and sobering self-reflection. He noted that while certain dialogues might draw derisive laughter from Pakistani viewers, other narrative revelations would force citizens to confront the extent of wrongdoing committed in their nation’s name by state actors.

Dismantling Intelligence Myths and Bureaucratic Realities

Drawing upon his extensive career in diplomacy and interactions with the security apparatus, Tharoor dismantled the franchise’s sensationalized depiction of intelligence operations. He rejected the portrayal of covert statecraft as a rogue series of extraterritorial liquidations, contrasting celluloid fantasy with the sober, institutional reality of diplomatic information sharing.

Tharoor remarked that his own extensive dealings with intelligence officials were strictly defined by civil analysis and rigorous information exchange, emphasizing that he was never privy to covert commands that triggered fatal explosions across distant foreign capitals. He squarely dismissed the cinematic narrative as divorced from legitimate governance.

The critique further targeted the structural logic of the script, specifically taking aim at the character portrayed by R Madhavan, which was loosely structured around National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Tharoor questioned the administrative plausibility of a single operative retaining unbroken executive authority from the late 1990s through the modern day. He characterized such institutional continuity as completely alien to the protocols of genuine state bureaucracy, viewing it as a narrative stretch deployed to anchor the franchise’s messaging.

Commercial Spectacle Meets Ideological Alarm

Despite his scathing indictment of the film’s gore and partisan overtones, Tharoor acknowledged the technical mastery of Aditya Dhar’s directorial execution. He conceded that the eight-hour experience offered compelling world-building, citing standout turns by an ensemble cast featuring Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, Rakesh Bedi, and Sara Arjun. Tharoor even admitted that he found the second installment distinctly superior to the first in pure entertainment value.

Nevertheless, the parliamentarian’s willingness to openly brand a multi-thousand-crore nationalist tentpole as propaganda has injected fresh friction into the intersection of Hindi cinema and Indian state politics, ensuring that the legacy of ‘Dhurandhar’ remains as fiercely contested as it is commercially celebrated.