MUMBAI: The recently released Bollywood film ‘Dhurindhar’ has landed in significant controversy, sparking furious backlash from audiences outside India over its anti-Pakistan propaganda and the highly unrealistic cultural depiction of the city of Karachi and the Baloch community.
While actor Akshay Khanna’s performance is being praised, the world portrayed in the film is deemed incomprehensible by viewers. A debate has erupted across social media platforms, with users arguing that the cinematic version of Karachi and its Baloch residents is so detached from reality that they appear to belong to “another planet.” The decision to present Baloch characters with an distinct “Arab color” (attire and appearance) has particularly astonished and drawn mockery from the audience.
The film features Ranveer Singh as a spy. Some critics speculate that the actor chose this propaganda vehicle to salvage his career after a string of commercial failures.
The controversy has attracted the attention of respected commentators, including Pakistani-origin British anchor Haroon Rashid, known for his impartial film criticism. He broke his usual silence to publicly critique the film’s distorted portrayal of Karachi, sharing a short video clip that clearly demonstrated the wide disparity between the cinematic and the real city, highlighting the film’s failure in cultural accuracy.
