The Bollywood spy thriller has become a political weapon, deployed by all parties across a vast swath of India – from states like Kerala and Assam, where elections are being held this week, to Uttar Pradesh, the country’s most populous state, which is due to vote early next year.
Since the release of its first part in December 2025, ‘Dhurandhar’, directed by Aditya Dhar and starring Ranveer Singh, has broken box office records. Part 2 “Dhurandhar: The Revenge” was released on March 19, 2026; And it just turned up the heat. The images, dialogues and their politics are now being cited in election campaigns and social media battles.
‘Lyari’ posters in Lucknow and Amethi
The latest flashpoint came from Uttar Pradesh. Ahead of the 2027 Vidhan Sabha elections, which the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party hopes to continue its rule, posters inspired by the film have appeared in parts of Lucknow and Amethi, targeting opposition leader Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party.
“Aap ko kya chahiya? Akhilesh ka lyari raj,” says the slogan on these posters, asking if people want chaos. Reference, Lyari, is a neighborhood in Karachi notorious for gang violence, and a prime location in Durandhar.
The posters draw a direct comparison between how ‘Dhurandhar’ depicts Lyari and Akhilesh Yadav as Chief Minister. The billboards, which were reported at multiple intersections in Lucknow and outside Amethi railway station, were put up by a group calling itself Youth Against Mafia. The names and photos of the organization’s officials are also displayed on it.
But the Samajwadi Party hit back. Rajesh Mishra, the party’s spokesman in Amethi, said the posters reflected the “frustration and despair” felt by the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party. “Such tactics are being used because the BJP has realized that it will not return to power,” he said, claiming that the public is “aware of these attempts at misinformation.”
Amethi police station in-charge Ravi Singh confirmed that the authorities had received information about the posters and a team had been sent to the spots.
Prime Minister Modi joins the fray
The film reached the pinnacle of Indian politics, too, two days ago, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi, at a public meeting in Thiruvalla, Kerala, cited “Dhurandhar” along with some previous controversial films to accuse the Congress and the Left of “usual betrayal.”
“Congress, UDF and LDF have developed the habit of lying about everything,” he said. “When we introduced the CAA – (the Citizenship Amendment Act that sparked protests in 2019-20 over alleged discrimination against Muslims) – they spread a lot of lies; today, the CAA has been implemented, and the country has not suffered any harm. When ‘Kerala Files’ came out, they started saying ‘they are all lies’, and when ‘Kashmir Files’ came out, they started saying ‘they are all lies’. It is based on lies,” he said.
Himanta brings her to Assam
In Assam, BJP CM Himanta Biswa Sarma did not apologize for the political reading of the film’s box office success.
“Just look at the number of people who will watch it, it means there are many BJP and RSS members around the world. People will watch it in large numbers. This means those who will watch ‘Dhurandhar’ will vote for the BJP. It is good for us,” he said.
It was a frank admission of what critics have long argued, that the film served a political purpose by praising the BJP and the Modi regime even at the cost of distorting facts by usurping artistic freedom.
Congress is attacking the BJP as well as the film and its policies
On the opposition side, Congressman Tariq Anwar launched one of the fiercest attacks on Dhurandhar, and by extension the BJP. “It’s clear that the people who made the film are basically hatemongers,” Anwar said in the week of the sequel’s release. “They took the decade to spread hatred across the country.”
“Through the violence shown in the film, an attempt has been made to create an atmosphere against a particular community. This is the agenda of the BJP. The film has been made to promote this agenda. And those who are doing these things, the BJP and the RSS, are forgetting that this will turn into a big problem for India in the future,” he added.
Raghav Chadha vs AAP
Perhaps the most bizarre use of “Dhurandhar” came not from the BJP or the Congress, but from the Aam Aadmi Party leader – directed at the APC itself.
MP Raghav Chadha, who was removed as the party’s deputy leader in the Senate, issued a video response to the allegations of senior party leaders including Atishi, Saurabh Bharadwaj and Sanjay Singh, who said he was raising “soft issues” and not targeting Prime Minister Modi and the BJP-led NDA on the real issues.
“There is a written campaign against me,” Chadha said. “They are using the same language, the same issues, the same allegations.”
He ends the video with a line lifted directly from “Dhurandhar”: “Gyal hun, isli ghatak hun.” “I am wounded, therefore I am dangerous.” The dialogue also makes references to two Sunny Deol action films.
What’s in Durandar?
And at the heart of all this is the film itself. “Dhurandhar” revolves around an Indian intelligence agent, Hamza Ali Mazari, who infiltrates Karachi’s Lyari neighborhood to dismantle a terrorist network. The film is inspired by true events including the 1999 hijacking of IC-814, the 2001 Parliament attack, and the 2008 Mumbai attacks. It has become the highest-grossing Indian film of 2025. Its sequel has already broken these records.
Critics have noted that the film’s timeline is eclectic. Major events including the Kandahar hijack, the Parliament attack, and the 2025 Pahalgam attack all took place under the BJP-led governments. The covert operation depicted in the film reportedly began during Congress. Critics say the film offers a different impression.
Aditya Dhar objected to the propaganda label. “I honestly feel that the current government does not need a small film like ours to win the elections. They built this film.” “Ram Mandir – something that took 500 years to achieve – so I don’t think they are counting on us for votes.” Regarding his intention, he said that the film was produced “for a national purpose.” “The public is smart enough not to fall for such allegations,” he said.
