Notes: My apologies in advance if you like crunching popcorn while watching a movie. This writeup does not carry any spoilers.
My Controversial Opinion
My most controversial opinion regarding cinemas is that we should ban food in the theatres or just dump all the popcorn crunchers in a single corner of the theatre and spare the rest of the population.
Because it is really annoying to hear people munching like buffalos when a serious scene is running on the scene.
The guy next to me ate almost two tubs of popcorn before intermission. During the intermission, he crunched ice-chips. After that I consciously ignored him though he kept on munching something or the other till the end.
If not for Dolby Atmos I would have probably lost my shit. The shameless ice-chips cruncher didn’t feel anything even when I gave him a disapproving stare.
Dhurandhar Title Song- A Marketing Hit
Na de dil pardesi nu, tainu nit da rona pai jaauga
Don’t give your heart to a stranger, or you’ll end up crying every day.Naal Ranjhe te jogi de, tainu jogan hona pai jaauga
If you stay with lovers like Ranjha or wandering saints, you’ll have to become a wanderer yourself.Main ishq de alliyan zakhma de, khud hass-hass ke moonh si laangi
I have stitched shut the deep wounds of love myself, laughing through the pain.Je yaar mera mainu zahar, zahar, zahar, zahar—
If my beloved gives me poison, poison, poison—
One must ask why the first few lines of the song are no way related to the spy movie in any way. It just a warning sign regarding matters of the heart. And it instantly connects.
Since I didn’t know Punjabi, I ignored it for a few days. But the vitality of this song eventually made me Google it. And I was like — BANG ON!
The marketing genius of this song is underrated. It instantly connects and makes people listen to remaining part of the song and eventually decide to watch the movie.
Roping in Hanumankind for this song was another great call as he has made waves in recent times. This was an easy way to gain traction on Spotify and social media.
The song single handedly takes care of a top of the funnel which eventually converts listeners into movie consumers.
The Political Controversy
The movie has several political effects in the domestic and international stage.
Dhurandhar has been banned by countries in the Gulf regions as they thought it would be considered anti-Pakistan. This underlines the soft power of Bollywood and art to influence an international audience on an important matter like terrorism.
One needs to wonder if Gulf nations are friends of India or not. Their stance on terrorism has always been ambivalent at best. Banning a movie to help a terrorist nation save face is not a small move in that context.
On the other hand, left-leaning voices have branded the movie as a pro-government propaganda movie as some of the dialogues carry political power. While this might be true, we still have freedom of speech in this country.
The long and complicated disclaimer asking the viewers to apply their wisdom while consuming the movie should be a good enough way to counteract any negative socio-political impact.
One can also argue that smoking disclaimers never worked and they do influence people to consuming tobacco products by making it look cool. That topic should be taken up with more seriousness.
Yay or Nay?
Generally, I try to stay away from mass-hits as long as possible, but the title song got me into the theatre. The story-line, quality of acting and realistic portrayal of events made me stay till the end. I might have missed some indicators regarding the sequel as I left as soon as the credits started rolling in.
I made the blunder of scrolling through the Wiki page of the movie while trying to ascertain whether my time and money were worth the investment. I read a key plot twist while scanning the page.
In spite of my faux pas I was able to enjoy the movie as the process of reaching that key plot point was long winding and layered.
I don’t want to get into specific actors’ performance, the plot or technical aspects. But I felt every key role was well-projected by actors. It felt realistic, though one can’t certify with full confidence (as we have never met terrorists, agents or politicians from such a close distance).
The movie does offer masala, humour, love story, dance and violence without losing the focus on political rivalries amongst key players. Though it was a long movie, it keeps you hooked. I wish the last fighting scene could have been cut short.
Dhurandhar is a great watch.
Even if it is a propaganda movie, as labeled by few, it is a successful one. We must note that a plausible propaganda movie about the current Prime Minister was a flop (as mentioned by a panelist on a news channel).
You should watch Dhurandhar in a theatre if you can.
Also, I hope that nobody crunches popcorn like a buffalo when you’re watching the movie.