New Bollywood movie divides opinion in India and Pakistan

A new Bollywood spy film is causing both praise and unease in India and Pakistan for its controversial depiction of long-standing hostilities between the South Asian neighbors.

Durandhar, which released last week, takes viewers into a high-octane world of espionage, gang wars and patriotic fervor.

Bollywood star Ranveer Singh swaggers into the role of Indian spy Hamza on a dangerous mission in Karachi, Pakistan, and the film traces his battles with criminal networks, mysterious agents and personal demons – all against the backdrop of tensions between India and Pakistan.

While the action-packed and gripping plot of the film, directed by Aditya Dar, won rave reviews from many viewers, its political message and handling of historical events also sparked heated debate.

Dhar first came to national attention in 2019 with his debut novel “Uri: The Surgical Strike,” based on India’s 2016 air strikes in Pakistan. The film was a box office hit and won him a National Film Award.

Although “Dhurandhar” is only his second directorial effort, he has co-written and produced other films, including last year’s “Article 370” – about the revocation of Kashmir’s autonomy in 2019 – which was a huge success, win praise From Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Dhurandhar arrives after worst months India-Pakistan military conflict Twenty years later, Dahl returned to the political thriller genre on an even grander scale.

Fatal fights break out in cramped rooms, gunfire echoes through crowded alleys, leaving a trail of bodies, and torture scenes are disturbing in duration. The violence is graphic and shot in tense, breathless sequences that heighten the discomfort.

Online, praise and criticism abounded – some were impressed by the film’s cinematic ambition and exhilarating plot, while others found its ultra-nationalist tone and use of violence disturbing and inflammatory.

The debate became so heated that some critics faced backlash, with Durand Dahl’s supporters accusing them of judging the film through political bias rather than its merits.

Film Critics Association, Film Critics Association, Make a statement This week condemned “targeted attacks, harassment and hatred directed at film critics for their comments about Durandal”.

Despite the polarizing response, the film still attracted a large audience and has become one of the hottest movies of the year.

This trend is not surprising. In recent years, Indian films Nationalist blockbusters surge Publicly cite government policies and historical events.

Movies like Kashmir Archives and kerala story They have become major commercial hits despite sparking fierce debate over their historical accuracy and political messaging.

Spy thrillers have also long featured prominently, often depicting Pakistan as India’s biggest threat – a familiar trope rooted in decades of geopolitical tensions between the two countries.

The makers of these films believe they resonate with audiences because they address historical events and contemporary issues that are often ignored by mainstream commercial films—sensitive, polarizing subjects involving public identity, national memory, and contemporary politics.

“My films are not political, they are about human interest,” “Kerala Story” director Sudipto Sen told the BBC last year. The 2023 film claims to tell the “true story” of Hindu and Christian women who were lured to convert to Islam and join the Islamic State (IS) group.

But critics say such films increasingly blur the lines between entertainment and propaganda with their blatant fabrication of key events, flattening complex history into oversimplified storylines.

Film critic Uday Bhatia said “Durandhar” is a spy thriller with a staunchly nationalist tone that fits squarely into this expanding genre.

Even before its release, the film faced legal scrutiny after the family of a deceased military officer claimed parts of the film were based on his life without permission. Dhar denied this, and the film was eventually deemed a work of fiction by India’s Central Board of Film Certification.

However, the film overtly weaves some real-life events and historical flashpoints into the story, including news footage and real recordings of the 2001 Indian Parliament attack and the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.

In fact, this story begins with the 1999 Indian passenger plane hijacking incident.

We see Indian intelligence chief Ajay Sanyal (played by R Madhavan) react to the hijacking by vowing to launch an attack on Pakistani soil.

So he sends his best man, Hamza, to destroy the alleged nexus between Karachi’s gangs and terror networks, which, according to the film, operate with the tacit support of the Pakistani government.

Dhar’s portrait of Karachi is bleak: a sprawling, lawless city where kidnappings and torture are rampant and revenge killings between rival gangs unfold with relentless brutality.

Some critics criticized the blend of real-life gang history and the film’s exaggeration. “The film depicts Pakistan as a lawless, almost barbaric land with a pathological hostility towards India. It also depicts the cross-border conflict in religious terms,” ​​Mr Bhatia said.

But others thought the descriptions hit home. “Dhar’s biggest transformation is in his portrayal of Pakistan. It is not satirical but surprisingly subtle, especially politically,” Vinita Kumar wrote on the India Today website.

Not only in India, Pakistan also had mixed reactions to Durand Dal.

Cultural exchange has been restricted for decades, with film often being the biggest casualty. Pakistan banned Indian films in 2019, while India frequently blocks Pakistani films and music.

Yet Bollywood remains extremely popular in Pakistan, with viewers often using VPNs or illegally downloading movies.

In Durandal’s case, editorials including those in Dawn criticized the film’s negative portrayal of Pakistan and lamented that local filmmakers often ignored their own history, leaving it to Bollywood to interpret the story.

Critics have also pointed to factual inaccuracies, such as the depiction of Karachi’s Lyari gangs – often involved in extortion, kidnapping and drug trafficking – as involved in cross-border tensions with India.

Content creator Bilal Hussain, who grew up in Karachi, said he was surprised by the depiction of the gang but added that despite the “propaganda”, the film’s action, acting and music were still worth enjoying.

The sharpest criticism came from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), which rules Sindh province, over a fictional PPP rally featuring the party flag and a picture of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, who was assassinated in 2007.

One party leader called the film a “malicious distortion” that sought to portray the PPP as sympathetic to radicals.

Despite its inaccuracies, critics say the film, like many before it, is unlikely to undermine Bollywood’s popularity in Pakistan, which lacks a comparable local film industry.

This sentiment was echoed in India, where many viewers rejected the political debate surrounding the film, saying they watched it purely for entertainment.

“Ultimately, this is a fictional film and you can make it up as you like,” Mr. Bhatia said.

“But it clearly has a slanted, selective view of the world and subtly furthers that.”