‘Courageous Mainstream Film’: Anurag Kashyap Praises Dhurandhar, Says ‘Those Calling Films Propaganda…’

Anurag Kashyap has praised Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar as a “courageous” film, arguing that branding the film as “propaganda” amounts to propaganda in itself.

Anurag Kashyap said he liked the film but did not agree with some of its ideologies.

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Aditya Dhar’s action-crime film Dhurandhar, which traces a tense timeline beginning with the Kandahar hijack and moving through major terror-related events, including the 26/11 Mumbai attacks and the 2011 Parliament attack, has been receiving rave reviews from critics and audiences alike. Since its release, the film has been widely discussed for its scale, performances and political undertones. Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has now praised the Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna-starrer, calling it a “courageous” film and adding that labelling films as “propaganda” is itself a form of “propaganda”.

‘Courageous Mainstream Film’: Anurag Kashyap

“This is a good example of a courageous mainstream film. I liked the film, but I didn’t like some of the ideologies,” Kashyap said, before adding, “The dialogue about ‘This is the new India’ and one long political monologue, among a total of three scenes, were unnecessary; even without them, the film’s impact would not have diminished.”

He added, “Calling films ‘propaganda’ or ‘promotion’ is itself a form of propaganda,” and drew comparison with Hollywood, saying that Marvel films propagate “American supremacy”, yet people don’t “criticise” the makers. 

‘Indian Directors Should Draw Inspiration…’

Kashyap made these remarks during a discussion titled Fearless Film Making at the 17th Bengaluru International Film Festival. He also said that the films that once defined his career may no longer be possible today. “In today's times, making films like Gangs of Wasseypur or Black Friday is impossible. Some subjects have become politically sensitive and lead to controversies,” he said.

“Directors from countries like Iran or Russia are making films despite facing far greater restrictions than us. Indian directors should draw inspiration from them,” he went on to say. 

Directed by Aditya Dhar, Dhurandhar was released on December 5 and has emerged as a massive box-office success. According to industry tracker Sacnilk, the film has collected Rs 836.5 crore net in India and Rs 1,302.5 crore worldwide. Produced by Jio Studios and B62 Studios, the film holds an IMDb rating of 8.5 and began streaming on Netflix on January 30. Since its release, the film has been widely discussed for its scale, performances and political undertones.

On the work front, Anurag Kashyap’s Kennedy, which premiered at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival, is getting an India release. Sharing the news on X (formerly Twitter), he wrote, “Finally, our labour of love, angst and all things in between ‘Kennedy’ is coming home after travelling the world on ZEE5. All I can say is I am grateful for having been able to make this film, my team, my producers, my Studio and at the end of the day - jab jab Jo Jo hona hai tab tab so so hota hai.”