Content creator Dhruv Rathee has sparked serious controversy with scathing criticism of the upcoming action thriller Dhurandhar, starring Ranveer Singh and directed by Aditya Dhar. Rathee compared the violent imagery in the film’s trailer to “ISIS beheadings” and accused the director of glorifying torture and extreme violence purely for profit.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Rathee lashed out at the filmmaker: “Aditya Dhar has truly crossed a limit of cheapness in Bollywood,” he wrote. He said the brutality shown in the Dhurandhar trailer, including graphic torture scenes, was not entertainment but a harmful spectacle that desensitizes viewers, especially younger audiences. He added that Dhar’s “lust for money is so unhinged” that he seems willing to exploit gratuitous violence for box-office appeal.
Rathee didn’t hold back when calling for regulatory oversight. He urged India’s Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to intervene, suggesting that if they had the courage to censor romantic scenes, they should also crack down on gore-filled content. “This is the chance for Censor Board to show if [they] have a bigger problem with people kissing or watching someone get skinned alive,” he wrote, highlighting what he sees as hypocrisy in cinematic regulation.
Meanwhile, Dhurandhar has drawn plenty of attention for its ensemble cast, which includes Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, and R. Madhavan alongside Ranveer. The movie’s high-octane trailer, released recently, features intense action and brutal visuals, leading to mixed reactions online: some viewers praised the raw spectacle, while others echoed Rathee’s concerns.
Rathee’s criticism taps into a broader debate around violence in cinema. While audiences often accept action and fight scenes, his comparison to extremist beheading videos struck a nerve. He argued that portraying torture as entertainment risks normalising real-world violence and encouraging a dangerous desensitization.
His comments also target the director’s motives. Rathee suggested that Dhar’s approach lacks artistic restraint and instead leans toward sensationalism, using shock value to drive ticket sales rather than meaningful narrative. In his view, Dhurandhar is more about spectacle than substance.
Industry insiders may not all agree with Rathee, but his critique raises important questions. Where should the line be drawn between cinematic realism and gratuitous violence? Should horror and action filmmakers self-regulate, or should external bodies like the CBFC play a more active role?
As Dhurandhar gears up for release, Rathee’s public call-out has become a talking point for both film fans and moral critics. Whether his concerns will lead to changes in the film’s final cut, or spur wider industry reflection on violence in storytelling, remains to be seen.