After watching both the parts I realised even propaganda can be sold and fed to the audience if wrapped in a wrapper of somewhat well crafted filmmaking and engaging performances by the actors.
Things I didn’t like :
1. One sided narrative.
2. Propaganda, propaganda & propaganda
3. Rubbish facts stuffed in the name of fiction.
4. Complete absence of female roles.
5. Glorification of pseudo masculinity.
Things I liked :
1. Well maintained plot that connects the dots.
2. Music.
3. Engaging performances by the actors.
4. The portrayal of emotions in characters like Major Iqbal (the abusive father scenes), Rehman Dakait (losing his son and family oriented scenes) and last but not the least Jaskirat Singh Rangi (last scene when he’s in the emotional turmoil and dilemma whether to go inside his house or not. Also the scene where he finds his sister as a hostage). The credit here also goes to the actors (Arjun Rampal, Akshay Khanna & Ranveer Singh) of course.
5. Utilisation of music/bgm in plot development.
6. Special mention has to be Rakesh Bedi.
Now, coming onto some facts :
1. The Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW) was established on September 21, 1968. Founded under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. (Information was available on the internet)
2. Jameel Jamali was is in Lyari since 45 years, he was sent in 1981 when Indira Gandhi was the PM. (As shown in the film)
3. Ranveer Singh’s character Hamza went to Lyari in mid 2004, when PM was Dr Manmohan Singh. (As shown in the film)
4. Ilias Kashmiri on whom Major Iqbal’s character is based on, died in 2011 in a US Drone attack, when India’s PM was Dr Manmohan singh. (Available on the internet)
5. SP Choudhary Aslam (a real character played by Sanjay Dutt on screen) died in Jan 2014 in a suicide car bombing in Karachi, Pakistan when India’s PM was Dr Manmohan Singh.
So, now please make sense of the whole demonetization narrative shown in the film. Films can’t replace history books I’m sorry to break that bubble! The compelling storytelling and execution made people forget the fact that film is “based on true events” not “the true events” itself.
Slick cinematography and world class production value can’t beat objective reality. Yes, the film uses real dates of events (26/11), real footages (PM’s oath ceremony, demonetization) and real news headlines. It’s a crazy case of cinematic gaslighting where the background is real people assume the hero is real as well. But the protagonist is not.
Dhurandhar is like that viral WhatsApp forward our parents keep sending us, just in a high budget and 4k version. It validates people’s bias. People are buying this narrative because it feels good to them. When people stop being able to differentiate between a screenwriter’s imagination or a director’s vision and actual facts, they become dangerously easy to influence.
Appreciate the craft. Cheer for the acting. Even howl and hoot at the action sequences. But for the love of logic, read a book. Art is meant to move you, make you think and feel, not to be your only source of truth. Use your eyes for the screen, but use your mind for the world. As the iconic dialogue says, “Hindustan mein jab tak Cinema hai, log chye bante rahenge“*. Let’s not be one!
Rajrupa Das 3rd Sem (Blog Assignment) 