Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has praised the recent blockbuster Dhurandhar as a ‘courageous’ mainstream film in today’s times. The filmmaker also dismissed those calling it ‘propaganda’ or ‘promotion’, but admitted that he did not agree with the film’s politics.
Anurag Kashyap has praised Dhurandhar.Anurag Kashyap on Dhurandhar
Anurag appeared at the 17th Bengaluru International Film Festival, where he spoke about cinema, politics, and technology in a session titled ‘Fearless Film Making’, moderated by film critic Baradwaj Rangan. There, the filmmaker spoke about the absence of political films in India and how several films from the past may not be made today. Talking about Dhurandhar, in particular, he said, “This is a good example of a courageous mainstream film. I liked the film, but I didn’t like some of the ideologies. The dialogue about ‘This is the new India’ and one long political monologue, among a total of three scenes, were unnecessary; even without them, the film’s impact would not have diminished.”
Calling films propaganda is…
In the same session, he dismissed those calling Dhurandhar propaganda. He said that calling films ‘propaganda’ or ‘promotion’ is itself a form of propaganda. Equating such films with Marvel’s blockbusters, the filmmaker added, “Hollywood’s Marvel films propagate American supremacy, but no one criticises them from that perspective.”
Dhurandhar, directed by Aditya Dhar, starred Ranveer Singh alongside Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt, and Arjun Rampal. The film has grossed over ₹1300 crore worldwide and earned acclaim.
Anurag’s recent work
Anurag Kashyap most recently directed the two-part film Nishaanchi. Part 1 was released in theatres last year, followed by a direct-to-streaming release for Part 2. His much-delayed film, Kennedy, starring Rahul Bhat and Sunny Leone, is also finally getting an India release. On Saturday, it was announced that the film will be released on Zee5. But no release date has been announced.