Content creator and political commentator Dhruv Rathee recently stirred debate after releasing a video taking a swipe at Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar, accusing the film of pushing “false propaganda” and selling lies. The criticism has now drawn a response from Dhurandhar actor Naveen Kaushik.
Dhurandhar actor on Dhruv Rathee’s video
In an interview with SCREEN, Naveen Kaushik, who is seen in the role of Donga alongside Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna in the film, spoke about Dhruv’s video, and accused him of trying to cash in on the spy thriller’s success for views.
When asked about Dhruv’s video on Dhurandhar, Naveen said, “He is an opinionated person. I am associated with the film, I don’t agree with him obviously.”
“He got some views because of us, congratulations,” Naveen added.
Earlier, Devoleena Bhattacharjee, had slammed Dhruv through a post on X, formerly known as Twitter. She wrote, “I so try to avoid & ignore your sh**ty videos & tweets. Dunno why X got it on my feedback. Anyways. Dhurandhar ke baarein mein sochna bandh kar (Stop thinking about Dhurandhar).”
What did Dhruv Rathee say
On Saturday, political commentator Dhruv Rathee released a scathing video critique of Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar, branding the film “dangerous propaganda” built on what he described as lies. He had earlier taken to social media to slam the film for its excessive violence and gore.
In the video, which was titled ‘Reality of Dhurandhar’, Dhruv slammed the film for being ‘jhootha and vahiyat’ propaganda (lies and falsehoods), claiming that director Aditya Dhar has tried to sell lies through the film. He said, “Well-made propaganda is more dangerous. Films like The Taj Story and The Bengal Films were not dangerous, kyunki wo bakwaas films thi (because they were bad films). But Dhurandhar is an engaging film.”
He added, “The problem is that Dhurandhar repeatedly shows you it’s inspired by real events. It says so in the trailer. It shows the real footage from the 26/11 attacks. The real audio recordings of conversations between the terrorists and their handlers have been used. It also uses real-life gangsters and cops based in Pakistan’s Lyari.” He argued that setting the film in reality made it more believable than any other spy thrillers, such as Pathaan or Tiger films.
Dhurandhar’s box office run
Meanwhile, Dhurandhar is enjoying a successful run at the box office. According to the trade website Sacnilk, Dhurandhar has collected an estimated ₹ 589.50 crore in India till now. The film was released in theatres on December 5. Apart from Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna, the spy action thriller also stars R. Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt and Arjun Rampal in lead roles, along with Sara Arjun and Rakesh Bedi in pivotal roles. The second part of the film is scheduled for a theatrical release on March 19, 2026.
