Aditya Dhar’s Subtle Dig At Dhruv Rathee's Review Of Dhurandhar

Filmmaker Aditya Dhar gave a subtle reply to criticism from controversial influencer and YouTuber Dhruv Rathee regarding his film Dhurandhar through an Instagram story posted on Wednesday, December 24, 2025.In the story, Aditya Dhar while sharing a review, writes, “A video maker tried to criticise it recently and got swept away by a wave of criticism against him. Dhurandhar is a craze today. A tsunami which will sweep away any other release in its path. A tsunami which will roll into 2026. It is not going to stop soon.”

Dhruv Rathee had recently posted a YouTube video critically reviewing Dhurandhar. He described the movie as a “Skillfully made propaganda which poses a greater threat ( while quoting world-famous critic Susan Sontag). Movies like The Taj Story and The Bengal Films weren’t harmful because they were poor films. However, Dhurandhar is an engaging film.” The YouTuber also blamed director Dhar of mixing facts with fiction, making it a “Gospel Truth”.

Rathee claimed that Aditya has been creatively mocking India, and remarked on the repetitive use of true events. “It shows the real footage from the 26/11 attacks. The real audio recordings of conversations between the terrorists and their handlers have been used. It also uses real-life gangsters and cops based in Pakistan’s Lyari.”

While resharing stories on his Instagram profile, one of Aditya’s story read, “History is being rewritten in Indian cinema. By men and women who have fire in their hearts and love for their country. They wanted to tell a story to their country people. The best part of the box office success of #Dhurandhar is that it’s organic. All those crying ‘corporate bookings’ in the week of release have suddenly become silent now.”

Despite criticism surrounding the film’s depictions of true events and Ranveer Singh’s portrayal as a spy, Dhurandhar continues to enjoy a successful run in theatres. Twenty days after its release on December 5, 2025, bookings remain strong with shows still running at house full. The film has shattered multiple records and is now on a historic global box office mark as it officially surpassed the ₹900 crore mark in worldwide gross. With this achievement, it becomes the 11th Indian film to reach this milestone.

This story is authored by S. Krishna Kumari Patro, an intern at Deccan Chronicle.

Aditya Dhar’s Subtle Dig At Dhruv Rathee's Review Of Dhurandhar

While Dhruv Rathee called the film dangerous propaganda, Aditya Dhar opted for silence, letting Dhurandhar's box office collections speak.

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