‘Saiyaara’ star Aneet Padda’s sister deletes Instagram after receiving backlash for calling ‘Dhurandhar 2’, a propaganda

Mumbai: Actress Aneet Padda’s sister Reet Padda is currently receiving an intense backlash for calling the recently released film ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’, a propaganda.

In her social media posts, Reet said the Ranveer Singh-starrer film and the Anupam Kher starrer ‘The Kashmir Files’ are ‘propaganda’ films. She wrote, “For ‘Dhurandhar’, it literally serves as a government-friendly narrative, using political speeches to justify, say, the minor hiccup of demonetisation. Call it propaganda? Yep. Deny it? Not a chance. But maybe your definition of propaganda is…different, who knows”.

Amid growing criticism, Reet has deleted her Instagram handle. In addition, Reet has also deleted her LinkedIn.

She had also said that films like these push a certain narrative in the public discourse. She further mentioned, “The films apparently enjoy a bit of creative math, ‘32,000 women converted to Islam!’ when real cases barely scrape a few hundred. But hey, that’s how propaganda works, right? Take a sliver of truth, sprinkle in some absurdly inflated numbers, and suddenly you’ve got a full blown narrative against a community. I never said the problems didn’t exist, but these films clearly push a certain narrative and deviation is apparently optional. I’d love to hear about the ‘real’ ground reality from someone in the know…if only you weren’t hiding behind a faceless, anonymous account”.

‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’, directed by Aditya Dhar and headlined by Ranveer Singh, has emerged as one of the biggest box-office juggernauts in recent Indian cinema. The response has been overwhelmingly strong across markets. The film registered high occupancy rates, multiple sold-out shows, and strong traction in dubbed versions, indicating pan-India appeal. Industry figures like Ayushmann Khurrana and Anupam Kher praised its scale and performances, while critics highlighted its spectacle-driven storytelling. Ram Gopal Varma called its success a disruption to traditional filmmaking norms.

Culturally, the ‘Dhurandhar’ franchise has evolved into a mass phenomenon. Its blend of hyper-stylized action, nationalism, and star power has resonated strongly with audiences, reflecting current cinematic trends. Viral moments, music, and even off-screen incidents have amplified its reach, turning it into more than just a film, a conversation driver. The sequel solidifies the franchise as a defining force in modern Bollywood spectacle cinema. However, the film has also riled up one section of the audience with many claiming it to be pro-establishment propaganda.

IANS