Congress Member of Parliament Shashi Tharoor has publicly condemned the extreme savagery and political messaging embedded in director Aditya Dhar’s high-octane spy series Dhurandhar, despite offering measured appreciation for the visual craft of the ₹3,100-crore box office juggernaut.

Speaking in an exhaustive, seven-minute critique released on his official YouTube channel, the seasoned diplomat-turned-politician delivered a blistering assessment of the cinematic violence unleashed across both installments of the spy franchise. Released sequentially in December 2025 and March 2026, the two films headline Ranveer Singh as undercover intelligence operative Jaskirat Singh Rangi, operating under the alias Hamza Ali Mazari. While the theatrical run transformed into a historical box office phenomenon, Tharoor voiced unvarnished shock at the film’s graphic depiction of physical brutality.

Gruesome Depictions and Cinema Screen Atrocities

Addressing the visceral imagery directly, Tharoor questioned the creative necessity behind displaying unrelenting carnage to Indian audiences. He asserted that the espionage narrative could have progressed effectively without descending into gratuitous gore, describing the visual treatment as a shocking new low for mainstream filmmaking in India.

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

The parliamentarian branded the violent sequences as "totally excessive and over the top," arguing that the sheer visual cruelty pushed past the boundaries of theatrical necessity and ventured into disturbing sensory assault.

Geopolitical Repercussions and Cross-Border Propaganda

Beyond the bloodshed, Tharoor dove straight into the geopolitical flashpoints intentionally ignited by the narrative. Dhurandhar has already triggered international diplomatic friction, resulting in sweeping exhibition bans not only across Pakistan but throughout several Gulf countries. Foreign censors cited concerns that the overtly hostile narrative would actively ignite bad blood between Indian and Pakistani expatriates living abroad.

Tharoor acknowledged the validity of those regional fears, pointing directly to the political motives woven into the script. He reflected on the polarizing nature of the dialogue, highlighting how international audiences might grapple with the heavy-handed nationalistic framing.

"There is a lot of propaganda stuff built into it obviously and I gather the film 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," Tharoor observed. He added that while Pakistani viewers might dismiss specific lines with humor, other scenes could force viewers to confront the reality of actions executed in their country’s name.

Reality Versus Espionage Fiction

Drawing on his extensive career in global governance and high-level Indian diplomacy, Tharoor dismantled the franchise’s sensationalist depiction of state intelligence work. He firmly rejected the Hollywood-style, hyper-violent espionage operations presented by Aditya Dhar as an unrealistic caricature of real intelligence protocols.

Sharing his own experiences working alongside senior intelligence officials, Tharoor clarified that legitimate security statecraft is dominated by information exchanges, civil dialogue, and rigorous analysis rather than covert assassinations. He remarked that authorizing explosions across foreign capitals bears no resemblance to the actual machinery of statecraft.

Tharoor also cast doubt on the plausibility of Ajay Sanyal, an intelligence chief character portrayed by R Madhavan and modeled after National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. He found the cinematic narrative of a single bureaucrat holding an identical security post continuously from the late 1990s into the present day highly unrealistic, insisting audiences treat the storyline entirely as geopolitical mythmaking.

Praise for Production Design and Sequel Execution

Despite his visceral recoil from the gore and propaganda, Tharoor conceded that the franchise represents an extraordinary technical benchmark for Indian cinema. He specifically designated the second installment, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, as an exceptional piece of entertainment that comfortably outpaced the original chapter.

Commending the ensemble cast—which includes Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, Rakesh Bedi, Sanjay Dutt, and Sara Arjun alongside Ranveer Singh—Tharoor lauded the directing, world-building, and set designs. He concluded that spanning the eight-hour combined running time delivers an indelible, commanding spectacle that undeniably grips the viewer’s imagination, even while crossing unacceptable thresholds of brutality.