Veteran Indian author and columnist Shobhaa De has recently spoken about the huge public reaction to the Bollywood film Dhurandhar and some of the conversations it has sparked online and in the media.
Praise for the Film, But Questions About the Hype
Dhurandhar, directed by Aditya Dhar and starring actors like Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna and others, has been one of the most talked-about films in 2025–2026 and is performing very well at the box office.
After the movie's success, many fans and commentators praised Akshaye Khanna’s performance, especially highlighting a viral dance moment that became very popular online.
However, Shobhaa De said that the way this praise was presented felt “manipulative” to her. According to her, the narrative that Akshaye was suddenly the “biggest star” or that the movie’s success was only because of him was exaggerated and designed to create buzz, not to analyse the film fairly.
She specifically mentioned that giving too much focus to a single aspect like one dance sequence can mislead people about the performance as a whole.
Hrithik Roshan’s Comments and Politics
Another interesting part of the discussion has been around comments made by actor Hrithik Roshan. He publicly shared that, while he enjoyed the film as cinema, he did *not fully agree with its political tone. *
Shobhaa De questioned the focus on this reaction, saying that no one asked Hrithik directly whether he agreed with the political messages of the film. Instead, she feels people chose to make his opinion part of the controversy, rather than simply seeing it as his personal view.
Her comments suggest she believes that in today’s entertainment world, commentary by celebrities too often gets mixed with marketing buzz and public controversy even when that wasn’t the intention.
Balanced But Critical View
Even though Shobhaa De criticised parts of the public reaction, she did not dismiss the film itself. She acknowledged that it is a major movie that many people enjoy, and her main concern was how the conversation around it was shaped by hype and commentary.
Her remarks have added a new dimension to the discussion, raising questions about how films are talked about in the media and on social platforms, how praise or criticism is amplified, and how celebrity opinions are used sometimes fairly, sometimes not in shaping public perception.