Karan Johar breaks silence on Dhurandhar’s divisive politics

Ranveer Singh-starrer ‘Dhurandhar’ has been in theatres for over 40 days now and despite earning Rs 1328 crore worldwide, the film continues to generate revenue. But, while the film has earned widespread commercial success, there has been some criticism as well and a section of the audience found the politics of ‘Dhurandhar’ to be quite divisive. Hrithik Roshan was one of the only stars who pointed it out and said that he did not fully align with the politics of the film. Director Karan Johar, who has previously praised the film, recently said that he was not offended by the politics of ‘Dhurandhar’ and he didn’t have any ideological issue with the film.

In a chat shared on the ‘YouTube’ channel of IIMUN, Karan was asked about his views on Dhurandhar’s politics and he said, “I unabashedly, unapologetically and absolutely, outstandingly loved ‘Dhurandhar’. I saw all of it with awe because I loved the craft of filmmaking. I loved the storytelling. I loved the way he divided it into chapters. I loved that the gaze was more internal and it wasn’t against - it was for speaking about politics in its own way.”

Talking about his own political take on the film, Karan said, “I actually wasn’t offended by the politics of the film. I know where it was heading. I know some people could agree or disagree and that should be cinema.” He added, “I was not offended by any ideological issue in the film. I watched it for the craft, for the cinema aspect of it and I absolutely loved it and I felt like Aditya Dhar has a unique voice and I feel he has emerged as a strong, unique voice.” He also mentioned, “I walked out feeling it was a nuanced film.”

Karan insisted that much like Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s cinema, he was taken in by the unique voice of the filmmaker and could not ignore the craft displayed in the film. He said that watching this film made him question if he was capable of something like this and he quickly realised that while he is capable of a lot, this isn’t necessarily his cup of tea. “The craft of ‘Dhurandhar’ is what I went home with and of course, the immensely powerful performances,” he said.

‘Dhurandhar 2’ is all set to release on March 19, when it will clash against Yash-starrer ‘Toxic’.