- 2 days ago
In this edition of Newstrack, the focus is on Aditya Dhar’s spy thriller 'Dhurandhar', which has created history by becoming the first Indian film of 2025 to cross the ₹1,000 crore mark in just 21 days.
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00:00Hello everyone, you're watching NewsTrack with me, Maria Shaquille.
00:04It's a movie that has shaped public discourse for the past few weeks.
00:08It was accused of promoting misogyny, glorifying violence and even shamelessly forwarding political propaganda.
00:18But none of that has stopped the film from racing away to thousand crores in box office collections in just three weeks.
00:26The only movie this year to have joined an elite club of just nine Indian movies.
00:33Today we look at what exactly has endeared Dharundar to the masses.
00:39Is it its fiercely patriotic stance, the aura forming of its actors on screen, its viral soundtrack or something much more?
00:49But we also ask, can a well-made movie give its makers the license to play around with the lines dividing fact and fiction?
01:00Joining me now is Rakesh Bedi, who is an actor of Dhurandar.
01:04Kumail Nahata is film trade analyst.
01:07Mayank Shekhar is a film critic and journalist.
01:11Advaita Kala is a screenwriter and author.
01:15I am going to begin with you, Rakesh Bedi.
01:19In fact, Mr. Bedi actually plays the role of Jameel Jamali, a cunning politician in Pakistan's Layari area.
01:25Rakesh ji, many congratulations on your film being the first and only film of 2025 to cross the thousand crore magic mark.
01:33And that too, in just 21 days.
01:36How do you feel about this amazing milestone?
01:45I am feeling that the film will do very well.
01:47How well, nobody knows, we also didn't know.
01:50But while making that, we always, we used to feel, all of us, including the director, that something special is being made.
01:59Because everybody was putting in so much of hard work, so much of commitment and dedication, so much of time also.
02:07We gave a lot of time, a lot of commitment.
02:08And this feeling was there, that this film is something special.
02:14And it has turned out to be like that.
02:16Okay, since, in just three weeks since its release, there has been a lot of charcha over this film, debate.
02:24While the audiences have clearly loved the movie and that is reflecting in the box office numbers,
02:29there are also strong critical voices who claim that this film glorifies violence, torture and misogyny.
02:37Is this criticism still warranted given the film's success?
02:45I don't think so.
02:47See, what happens is when the film succeeds, there are a lot of people join the bandwagon to criticize it.
02:54If film flops, nobody even talks about it.
02:56So, they would have been happier if the film had flopped.
03:00But the best part about the film is that people who are talking or people who are not talking,
03:05they are all going and seeing the film.
03:07And they are not seeing it once, they are seeing it twice, thrice.
03:10I know some people who have seen it four times, they still want to go once again for the fifth time to see the film.
03:17So, that's a rare, very rare magic which probably happens once in a lifetime for any actor, director, writer.
03:24It doesn't happen every day like that.
03:26Mr. Nahata, as someone who studies audience behavior,
03:30do viewers celebrate Durandar's India versus Pakistan narrative
03:38or are they consuming a more, one would say, coded ideological statement under the guise of a commercial spy thriller?
03:46How are you looking at audience behavior?
03:49I don't think the audience views it as this ideology or that ideology.
03:54They pay the ticket price to get entertained and if they get entertained,
04:00and entertainment could mean action, it could mean comedy, it could mean romance,
04:05it could mean a family drama, in this case it's action.
04:09So, if they feel entertained, they give the film a thumbs up and if they don't feel entertained,
04:15they come out very dejected and they tell their friends and family,
04:19if they don't see this picture, they don't have fun.
04:21So, I think the question of ideology etc. is just what is written by journalists because they have to fill their pages or fill the air time.
04:32I don't think the audience thinks on those lines and if the audience thinks on those lines,
04:39it is a minuscule audience, 99% of the audience is only concerned about getting value for money.
04:46They seem to have got more than their value for money because as Rakesh Ji rightly said,
04:51people are repeating the film and in three weeks if people have seen it thrice and four times,
04:56it speaks volumes for the content and for the public tastes, public reports.
05:07I think they all have loved the film and this debate is, I find it worthless if you ask me,
05:14especially after the film has proven itself and proven itself beyond imagination.
05:22Okay, okay. So, film critics like you, Mayank Shekhar, does the film narrative blur real events with fiction?
05:31And many would ask, where does creative license end and disinformation begin,
05:38especially when millions take cinema as cultural truth as well?
05:43Well, I have to say, there were portions in the film while I was watching it,
05:49where, for instance, and I hope it's not a spoiler for anyone who hasn't seen it,
05:53but clearly everyone's seen it and watching it as Rakesh Ji rightly put it more than once.
05:58These are real numbers for once. These are not fake corporate bookings and stuff.
06:02Everyone around me is watching the movie.
06:04There is a portion, for instance, and because you've asked that question,
06:08like, you know, Raman Dekai, that's Akshay Khanna's character and he's fabulous in the movie,
06:13so is Rakesh Ji of course, he's fabulous too, great performances.
06:17Now, he's sitting there in a room with the ISI person, then you simply move to, you pause the film,
06:25you saw a red screen and this is a real recorded conversation that took place between the terrorists at Taj
06:30and their handlers back in Pakistan. Now, were these people sitting in that room?
06:34So, when that happens, and then the next scene is, you know, the lead that's, you know, Ranveer Singh's character
06:43talking about, you know, Gael and Gatak, which is a very sunny Dharu kind of line, obviously.
06:47So, you know, that blurring of lines sometimes gets me frazzled a little bit.
06:52Like, am I supposed to take this seriously or is it just a James Bond-type spy film, right?
06:58But clearly, that's a, that's a me problem. It's not a, it's not a you problem.
07:02Okay.
07:03And, you know, at the end of the day, cinema is also a beautiful lie.
07:06And I think something, there's one thing that the director has, that's Aditya Dhar.
07:11He has an incredible, you know, capacity to make you believe.
07:15He has some inroad to some information that nobody else knows, right?
07:19This is what happened, that's what he beautifully did in Uri.
07:22He did that in, in article 370, the film that he produced and he wrote.
07:28And he's done this here, there are multiple chapters.
07:30You feel like this is exactly what happened.
07:33Okay.
07:33And that can be a, you know, the lines get blurred.
07:36But as I said, that is something that I think...
07:38It's a me problem, not a you problem.
07:40So where is Advaita Kala fitting into all this me versus you problem here?
07:46Advaita, the film glorifies revenge under the idea of national duty.
07:51Does that then dilute the human cost that is behind stories of war and intelligence?
07:59Okay.
08:00You know, Maria, first of all, I have to just say this.
08:04I've loved Rakesh Bedi since the 1980s.
08:06So I'm just so excited to be on the same panel with him.
08:09And it's just incredible to see him get this, you know, this great film to his credit
08:15at this stage in his career and my heartiest congratulations to him.
08:21And, you know, I mean, this is the thing, right?
08:24It's a film.
08:24It may be inspired by true events, but it is a film.
08:27And people are going to take a little liberty with facts when it comes to that.
08:32So I don't think we should go into it with too much of a microscope.
08:35Enjoy the movie.
08:37Get the larger message from the movie.
08:39If you want to get the message, if you just want to be entertained, then be entertained and move on.
08:45And it's certainly more realistic than a lot of other spy films that have come out in the recent past, you know, with all kinds of liberties being taken.
08:54So I think, you know, it's a movie that has revived the industry to a certain extent, which is great because, as we know, movies were flopping back to back.
09:02And it's done it despite the odds.
09:04I mean, you have a three and a half hour film that is pulling in people for the third and the fourth time, which just goes to show that if you can bring the content out, if you have a great ensemble cast.
09:17I think, you know, the audience is also getting a little tired of this overdone star culture and projection in the movies where story and everything else is put on the back burner.
09:29All other character actors are put on the back burner and it becomes a star vehicle.
09:33I think that era hopefully is coming to a close and we see more of these sort of ensemble casts with great actors from different generations coming together to tell a story, truly engaging an audience.
09:46And if there's a message for some people, that's fine. If there isn't a message, that's also fine.
09:51The fact that Akshay Khanna's character is a villain, but is the most viral character in the film, say something in itself.
09:57Only because of his entry and the style in which he enters.
10:02Exactly. So the public is smart enough to know what is entertainment, what is fact, what is fiction.
10:08Let's just trust them a little more. And congratulations again. Thousand crores is just amazing.
10:13Okay. So how many times have you watched the film, Advaita?
10:18Maybe once, but let's see, it's going to come on OTT as well.
10:23Okay. So you're open to the idea of watching it again. What about you, Mr. Nahata?
10:28I watch films only once because there are too many films happening every week to watch, but if I had the time, I wouldn't mind watching this film two or three times more.
10:40Okay. It is such a wonderful film, beautifully made, wonderful performances, great music, outstanding research. Everything about the film is outstanding.
10:50Okay. Let me go back to Rakesh Bedi. Mr. Bedi, talking about films, political messaging, because people are saying that it clearly takes a stand in favor of the current government and makes wild references against the previous governments who governed India.
11:09What are your thoughts on that?
11:14See, what I have, I'm not really authorized to comment anything on that. Because if I say anything, it can be, you know, misjudged, misquoted and all that.
11:23So I really don't want to say, I only want to know one thing that I as an actor, I loved being in this film. I loved my role. I did it with a lot of dedication. I prepared quite a lot for it. So I can only answer these questions.
11:38Now that, you know, there are these things also, which any film you take, for example, any film you take, why, why, why people don't react when, when didn't react like this way, when US raided Pakistan and for Osama bin Laden, there was a film made, you know, dark 30, something like that.
11:57And then nobody reacted. Why? Because it's US. So even we have made a film and some certain facts are there in the film. Now, I'm not really here to comment what is right and what is wrong.
12:12I only know one thing that film has tried to speak the truth and it has taken the world by storm.
12:20Since you're talking about truth, there's also this criticism and since you are one of the characters who has actually drawn a lot of attention in this film and they are modeled on real life people and therefore the fictitious events of the film give a misleading sense of real life parallels. How do you look at, or should you, how do you address that concern?
12:44See, it is very stupid to think like that. Everything has some kind of scene. There's a saying in English called nothing is new in this world. Nothing is new in this world.
12:58Even if a painter paints a sunset, he has seen it somewhere. So if you're painting a mother with a child, you have seen somewhere a mother with a child.
13:09You know, it's nothing new in this world. So everything has to be inspired from somewhere or the other.
13:15Now, it's a story which is inspired by a lot of true events and it has been woven together as a one man story.
13:25So it's not a biography. It's not a one man's story. It's a story of a man spy who goes there and certain things happen.
13:35So, like my character, for example, people say, a lot of people are saying that, you know, it resembles somebody in Pakistan.
13:43I can't help it. I can't help it. I studied a lot of Pakistani politicians, not one, many Pakistani politicians to create my own kind of a character, my own body language.
13:59But I saw many of them, not one.
14:01Okay. So, Mayank, as critics, when we look at a success of this nature, which is unrealistic and, you know, perhaps one of those breakout moments, which is going to help Bollywood and the entire Indian film industry really a lot.
14:21Do we then risk becoming complicit when commercial successes eclipse conversations about ethics and representation?
14:30No, I think conversations are always on. Right. And that's what that's the beauty of the medium itself.
14:36Everyone consumes. They have their point of view. And so does the filmmaker.
14:40And in that sense, there's no complicity. I mean, for instance, everyone keeps talking about the word propaganda. Right. I don't even use the word propaganda as a pejorative.
14:49I mean, it's that is what he wants to make. That is what he wants to say. And there are people who agree or disagree. But that's a point of view.
14:55So I think the conversation should continue. It's great news that the movie's done fabulous business. But that also means that theaters are back, you know, back just three years ago, we were just discussing are they over?
15:07Yes.
15:08And it's not just happening with Duran Dhar. I mean, you take a film like Sai Yaran that was a return of rom-com or at least a return of romance with completely new actors and it did huge business too.
15:17So I think this is all great news in terms of how well it's doing. The fact that people are going returning to the cinemas of everything else is a conversation. I think that's great to have one.
15:30Yes. And you know, there was this view that perhaps films that cater to nationalistic ecosystem actually are doing well because in general, that was the revival of the Indian sentiment.
15:46But one would say that similar sentiment which were reflected in certain cinemas like, you know, 120 Bahadur, that did not really do well. It bombed at the box office. But it's also about a cinema which is very well made.
16:04Oh, yes, of course. I mean, but you know, the thing is nothing succeeds like success, right?
16:10Yes. If this movie had not succeeded, then we would be talking about the three and a half hour long movie, the characters, you know, why it hasn't done well and whether it's time's up for these kind of nationalist movies, we'd be having a whole other conversation.
16:26So I think, you know, what clicks and what doesn't click, one never really knows. I think the industry has a tendency to follow trends. So, you know, like Mayank was saying, Sayara did really well. So then now you'll see a spew of like romantic movies, you know, and a nationalist movie does well. So you'll see a stream of nationalist movies.
16:47We did see. So I think we get we get caught into that cycle very quickly trying to understand why something succeeds or not. I think end of the day, I mean, I'm a screenwriter. So maybe I'm biased. I think story is king. And the director is, of course, the primary storyteller. So he does have his perspective and his vision for a film. And the audience is somebody who you have to serve. They're not there to serve you or your vanity.
17:13And I think that approach to filmmaking has to change in the industry. And frankly, I have no problem with any kind of exceptionalism being attributed to India through these films. I mean, Hollywood has done that for decades. In every film, the president is the most powerful man in the world, never mind anything else. America is always coming to the rescue and conquering for the rest of the world and for democracy and for freedom.
17:39So, you know, there are there are tendencies to do this kind of exceptionalism. There are some filmmakers who who are amazing at it, who are able to do it well and in a realistic way.
17:49And it works with the audience because we all have this sense of pride, of national pride. And when we see it articulated in an entertaining, fun, interesting way, then we buy into it.
18:01Okay. Let me give the last word to Mr. Nata. The fact is that this movie has a sequel. The date has been announced as well. Three and a half hours in one go, another three and a half hours or perhaps longer. We do not know the duration, what it looks like. But it has set the trend. And it's, you know, as we end the year, it's looking great for Indian film industry.
18:26It is, of course, it is. And I can say this with a fair amount of conviction that the opening which Dharanda 2 will take, I think, will be the best ever opening.
18:41It is already on its way to becoming the biggest blockbuster of Hindi cinema ever. And which means it will outdo Jawaan, Pathan, Animal, Gadhar 2, Stree 2 and Pushpa 2.
18:57The Hindi dubbed version had done approximately 720 crore. I'm talking about net collections. This is poised to go beyond that.
19:05So, it is now well on its way to becoming the biggest blockbuster. And definitely, one doesn't know how the second one will fare. But one is sure the opening will be tremendous, earth-shattering and probably the bestest opening ever.
19:21Wow.
19:22Because that is the kind of euphoria for the film, which will translate into box office collections. After that, of course, it will be the merits of the film, which will see it perform at the box office.
19:33But for now, we should celebrate rather than, you know, I'll just add one thing. Now, this channel or you have conducted this show. Another channel or another anchor would have done it differently.
19:46Does that mean that we should object to your conducting the show in this way? No. It is your show. You have done what you thought is right. It is Aditya Dhar's film. He has made a fantastic film, which has been loved by the masses, the classes, everybody.
20:03So, there is one small section which objects to it. Should we be giving them so much importance? I don't think so.
20:11All right.
20:11I think we need to give importance to the people who have loved the film. Yes. Why don't we talk about them? Why don't we discuss why we are loving the film?
20:18Yes, this phenomenon. That's why we were discussing this phenomenon as it enters the thousand crore club in just 21 days.
20:27Advaita Kala, Mr. Komal Nata, Mayank Shekhar and of course, Rakesh Bedi, who has played that beautiful role of Jameel Jamali in the film.
20:36Thank you so much for joining us and sharing your thoughts. That's all from me. We are putting out this entire discussion on our website and the YouTube channel. Thanks so much for watching.
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