Dhadak 2 director Shazia Iqbal criticises Dhurandhar, calls Ranveer Singh a spy thriller ‘sinister’

shazia iqbal called dhurandhar sinister

• Shazia Iqbal criticises Dhurandhar for inciting hate and violence in Bollywood
• Dhurandhar praised for action but faces debate over its political messaging
• Shazia's Dhadak 2 is a remake of Tamil film Pariyerum Perumal

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Filmmaker Shazia Iqbal, known for her critically acclaimed romantic drama Dhadak 2, has sparked fresh debate in Bollywood by publicly criticising the spy action thriller Dhurandhar, accusing it of fostering hate and violence rather than just telling a story. The remarks come as Dhurandhar — starring Ranveer Singh and directed by Aditya Dhar — continues to be a major talking point following its Netflix debut on January 30, 2026.

Taking to her Instagram Stories on February 1, Iqbal shared a pointed message set to the film’s title track and one of its viral songs, writing: “What a sinister film! It’s not hidden, it’s not unintentional — inciting hate and violence is in the DNA of the film.” She did not name Dhurandhar explicitly, but the choice of background music and the context of the post made clear which movie she was referring to.

In the same post, Iqbal also aimed at her industry peers, "But it’s a ‘well-made’ film, guys with some cool BGM. Well done, industry dude bros. Glad that most of y’all don’t care about minorities enough to even hide your blatant apathy," Shazia added.

Dhurandhar, which became one of the highest-grossing Indian films, centres on an Indian spy infiltrating criminal and terror networks in Pakistan’s Lyari, and features a star-studded cast including Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, R Madhavan and Sanjay Dutt. While the movie earned praise for its scale, performances and action sequences, some commentators — including other industry figures — have weighed in on its political undertones.

For instance, veteran filmmaker Anurag Kashyap recognised the film’s craft but expressed disagreement with aspects of its messaging, and various social media users have debated how Dhurandhar blends real-world events with dramatized narrative.

Shazia has directed the 2025 romance-drama Dhadak 2, featuring Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri, Zakir Hussain, Saurabh Sachdeva, Vipin Sharma and others in pivotal characters. The movie is a remake of the Tamil film Pariyerum Perumal (2018). Dhadak 2 was co-produced by Zee Studios, Dharma Productions and Cloud 9 Pictures.