Shashi Tharoor slammed Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar franchise over its troubled geopolitical framing.
He called out the depictions of covert operations, insisting they didn't echo his own experiences.
He lauded the production value of the films.
Congress MP Shashi Tharoor offered a mixed critique of Aditya Dhar’s Ranveer Singh-starrer Dhurandhar franchise. He praised its technical prowess, impressive production value, favoring sequel The Revenge over the original. But he also condemned its gratuitous violence and highly debatable geopolitics regarding India and Pakistan.
In a video on his YouTube channel, Tharoor shared his thoughts on watching the two-part blockbuster action saga directed by Aditya Dhar. He lashed out at the gratuitousness of the two films. “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, labelling the graphic content as “totally excessive and over the top.” The two installments have raked in more than ₹3,100 crore globally.
“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,” the politician added.
He suggested, "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."
Shashi Tharoor Flags Depiction Of Intelligence Operatives
Tharoor also drew a sharp difference between the film's depictions of covert operations and his real-life run-in with intelligence operatives. He said, "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."
Shashi also found doubt in the timeline surrounding R Madhavan’s character Ajay Sanyal, who is loosely inspired by National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. He questioned the idea of a single bureaucrat holding the same position from the late 1990s to the present day, and insisted that the story should be viewed as fiction. “I think it would be too much of a stretch to assume that’s true. So I would see this as a fictional film that tells a story which obviously is meant to impart a certain sense of lessons as well,” he said.
Nevertheless, Tharoor also acknowledged the films as “vividly made”. He wrapped, saying, “At the end of 8 hours, you feel you have been through a major cinematic experience."
The Dhurandhar franchise featured Ranveer Singh alongside Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, Rakesh Bedi, Sanjay Dutt, Sara Arjun and R Madhavan. The two films were released in December 2025 and March 2026, respectively.
