4 min readKochiApr 3, 2026 12:59 PM IST
With the release of director Aditya Dhar’s Ranveer Singh-starrer Dhurandhar, the topic of propaganda films has once again come under the spotlight, reigniting debates. While Dhurandhar (2025) and its sequel, Dhurandhar The Revenge (2026), received rave reviews from various quarters, they also drew intense criticism for purportedly whitewashing some of the central government’s policies and actions, including the 2016 demonetisation, which caused significant upheaval across the country.
Among those who took a dig at Dhurandhar, albeit indirectly, was Tamil filmmaker Vetrimaaran. At the recent trailer launch of Neelira, helmed by Someetharan, Vetrimaaran stated without naming Dhurandhar, “This film (Neelira) doesn’t talk about hate or advocate violence. It is not a propaganda film. It is not made to promote an ideology with crores of rupees. It does not aim to monetise hatred or violence to earn Rs 100 crore. On that basis, this is a film that does not caricature any race, community, or religious sect. It presents events without directly criticising anyone. Our writer has done an extraordinary job.”
‘Unless you go deep, you won’t understand trauma and reality of war’
Now, Neelira’s co-producer, Telugu actor Rana Daggubati, best known for his performance in the Baahubali movies, has reacted to Vetrimaaran’s comments. However, he too refrained from mentioning the title Dhurandhar. “The main theme of Neelira’s story is humanity. It doesn’t take any sides. It’s a story that says there are no victors in a war and that everybody loses in a war. A message like that is very, very rare in a commercial film,” he shared during a conversation with News18.
“For instance, if someone came to me with a war tale, one would assume that it would be of gun battles. That’s something we would seek. But we’re missing out on perspectives. We’re looking at things from a top-angle view now, and unless you go deep, you won’t understand the trauma and reality of war,” he pointed out. Rana, nonetheless, advocated for freedom of expression, mentioning that every filmmaker can choose their narrative and that it’s fine to make all kinds of cinema.
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‘It is very easy to alter its impact through cinema’
At Neelira’s trailer launch, Vetrimaaran also discussed demonetisation, making it clearer that he was taking potshots at Dhurandhar movies. “We all know how demonetisation affected us. We are aware of the number of people who died while standing in queues to exchange money. But it is very easy to alter its impact through cinema. So what can we do against hate propaganda? We make films like this (Neelira). We must use memory in the right way to spark meaningful conversations,” he noted.
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About Dhurandhar
Also starring Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Sara Arjun, Rakesh Bedi, Gaurav Gera, and Danish Pandor in key roles, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, currently running in theatres, has so far grossed over Rs 1,500 crore globally — far higher than its predecessor (Rs 1,307.35 crore) — becoming the fourth-highest-grossing Indian film of all time. It currently trails behind Allu Arjun’s Pushpa 2: The Rule (Rs 1,742.10 crore), Prabhas-Anushka Shetty’s Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (Rs 1,788.06 crore), and Aamir Khan’s Dangal (Rs 2,070.3 crore).
