“Dhurandhar IS Propaganda: Counterpropaganda”, Pragyata, June 06, 2026
“Part 1: Bollywood Isn’t Propaganda?
By setting Dhurandhar in Pakistan Aditya Dhar put into practice a credo he popularized: ‘ghar mein ghus ke maarenge.’ Taking his story behind enemy lines, into the lives of the Pakistani establishment and underworld, Dhar plunges the audience into a hitherto unknown space–a space where the usual Bollywood genre conventions no longer hold. The result: two cinematically-brilliant films where India isn’t victim-blamed and excuses aren’t made for the bigotry and supremacism that drive Pakistan’s proxy-war against India. Sections of the Indian film industry and commentariat–not just Pakistan’s–accused Dhurandhar (used hereon to refer to both films in the franchise) of being Islamophobic, Hindu-nationalistic, and propagandist.
‘Propaganda’ or ‘counterpropaganda’?
Many critics were enraged at Dhurandhar’s portrayal of the incumbent Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government and its Pakistan policy, but that doesn’t explain all the venom directed at it. We will look at the government angle in detail, but let us first ask what messages and values Dhurandhar’s story contains that some found so problematic?
Dhurandhar holds that: a.) Pakistan is an enemy state that fuels terrorism in India; b.) Pakistan weaponizes Islamic fundamentalism domestically and to target India; c.) the Pakistani establishment believes in the Two-Nation Theory and fantasizes about ‘Ghazwa-e-Hind’; d.) Pakistan treats its ethnic and religious minorities appallingly; e.) Pakistan uses its domestic and Indian underworlds to facilitate terrorism and more in India; and f.) Pakistan exploits Indian peace overtures to expand its proxy war and influence in India……”
Read full article at pragyata.com
