While Aditya Dhar’s film Dhurandhar: The Revenge has been shattering records at the box office, it has also faced criticism from a section of viewers, some of whom have labelled it “propaganda”. In a recent interview with Siddharth Kannan, filmmaker Priyadarshan, under whom Aditya Dhar began his career as an assistant director, reacted to the criticism surrounding the film.
Priyadarshan defends Dhurandhar The Revenge against propaganda
Recalling the time when Aditya came to him after some of his scripts were taken without him being credited, Priyadarshan revealed that the filmmaker was deeply disheartened. He said, “He (Aditya Dhar) was very disheartened, but he never told me until he started working for me. When we were sitting together in the evenings, he told me how disheartened he had become and how he had decided to come into filmmaking. When your children and disciples come up in life, that’s the best joy you can ever have. So I feel very good to hear what Aditya has achieved.”
Priyadarshan then defended Dhurandhar: The Revenge against the propaganda claims and said, “There’s nothing like propaganda. You are just bringing the truth in front of the people. When the whole of India has accepted it, then why do some people’s opinions matter? India has watched and accepted it. There are no bigger hits. Do you think those people who have watched the film are fools? It’s people’s opinion, leave it with them. Don’t confront it. Forget it. He has achieved. The film has been accepted by the majority of India, and that means it has to be a good film.”
Recently, filmmaker Vetrimaaran criticised recent “hate propaganda” films, which led many on the internet to speculate that he was referring to Aditya Dhar and Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar films.
About Dhurandhar: The Revenge
Helmed by Aditya Dhar, the film stars Ranveer Singh in the lead role, along with Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan and Rakesh Bedi in key roles. The film tells the story of an Indian spy who infiltrates the underworld gangs of Lyari in a mission to dismantle a terror network in Pakistan.
The film has so far managed to collect over ₹1,200 crore worldwide and more than ₹770 crore net in India. It continues to enjoy a dream run at the box office.
Priyadarshan’s upcoming work
Priyadarshan is now awaiting the release of his upcoming film Bhooth Bangla. The film stars Akshay Kumar in the lead role, along with Paresh Rawal, Tabu, Rajpal Yadav and Wamiqa Gabbi in key roles. The horror comedy, produced by Ektaa Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor, is all set to release in theatres on 10 April.
He also has Haiwaan, starring Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan, in the pipeline.
