Hotmail founder Sabeer Bhatia has criticised Dhurandhar, calling it “emotionally charged” but lacking intellectual depth. In a strongly worded video message, Bhatia accused the film of promoting “revenge and hate” and urged viewers to reject it.
“I just watched the movie Dhurandhar. Emotionally charged, sensationalism, drama. But where’s the intellectual component in this? All it is spreading is the message of revenge and hate. It’s disgusting,” Bhatia said, referring to the Aditya Dhar film.
What did Sabeer Bhatia say about Dhurandhar?
The tech entrepreneur expressed concern about the kind of messaging such films send to young audiences. “We don’t want our kids to be emotional reactors. We want the younger generation to be logical thinkers. Zero creativity. I know it’s a movie. I don’t think there is any entertainment in watching senseless killings, revenge. It promotes a certain line of thinking that is terrible,” he said.
“Movies today aren’t made to emotionally empower you. They’re engineered to trigger you. Be cautious,” read the caption of the post.
Bhatia further argued that the film paints “entire countries and institutions with a broad brush” without engaging with nuance. “Individuals are good or bad, not countries,” he added, stressing that storytelling should avoid sweeping generalisations.
Concluding his remarks, Bhatia appealed to viewers to “reject the movie Dhurandhar wholeheartedly,” reiterating his belief that cinema should encourage critical thinking rather than emotional provocation.
What did Dhurandhar makers say?
The makers of Dhurandhar are yet to respond to Sabeer Bhatia’s comments.
Written, directed and co-produced by Aditya Dhar, Dhurandhar released in theatres on December 5, 2025. While the action-thriller is headlined by Ranveer Singh, it also features an ensemble cast including Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, R. Madhavan, Sara Arjun, and Rakesh Bedi, among others. Part 2 of the film titled Dhurandhar: The Revenge is set to hit cinemas on March 19.
