‘Dhurandhar’ is still the talk of the town, even though it will take three months for the film to release soon. The makers are now gearing up for the sequel, which is scheduled to release on March 19.
The film faced some criticism with many describing it as a propaganda film. In a recent interview, veteran journalist-turned-columnist Shobha De expressed her views on the film. While she praised the film, Dee also revealed that the hype around Akshaye Khanna after the release was manipulative. “Dhurandhar is like a political bomb. I was not prepared for it. I went to watch it thinking it would be a part of the world of espionage. I went mostly because I briefly met Ranveer Singh at a cafe in Alibaug when he was preparing for the film. He was deeply absorbed in his work, sitting with his laptop and reading his script,” she said in an interview with Rediff Originals.
‘Dhurandhar’: The film that forced Indian cinema to change
She went on to narrate that chance encounter she met in detail. “My husband and I have known him ever since he entered films. I didn’t want to interrupt him, but he is a very polite young man and joined our table briefly. He talked about the project without revealing the title, but mentioned that he needed to gain about 15 kilos and grow his hair and beard. He was completely immersed in the preparation. At that time, he was preparing only for Durandhar.
“Dee admitted that her initial curiosity stemmed from her desire to see Ranveer’s physical transformation, but the film quickly surprised her with its broader ambition. “More than anything else, I felt this was an important film because it didn’t follow the typical fictional path of the world of espionage. He wasn’t a homegrown James Bond. He was a director telling important stories that the younger generation might not know about like Kandahar and the Mumbai terrorist attacks.”
“Director’s praise
Aditya Dhar
“Taking contemporary history and crafting a story for today’s generation around a larger-than-life secret agent who I believe existed, is ambitious. The scale was enormous. It also explored Lyari and the underworld of that era, drawing many parallels. From that perspective, I think it’s very strong filmmaking. I connected with this more than Pathan. This film felt like entertainment, with charming counter-spies trying to woo the hero,” she added.
“That’s not how reality works.”Speaking further about the praise for Akshaye Khanna, De said: “There was another manipulative aspect which was creating the impression that Akshay is the biggest star and that he is the only one who stands out, even taking credit for his dance as the highlight.”Dee also spoke about the industry’s response to the film and said, “No one asked
Hrithik Roshan
Whether it agrees with the film’s policy. He could have simply said he liked it, but he chose to go further. The choreography, use of music, and acting in Dhurandhar are all fantastic.‘Dhurandhar 2’ is scheduled to release on March 19.
