Meghna Gulzar says Raazi’s characters ‘aren’t any less patriotic’ than Dhurandhar’s: ‘Patriotism doesn’t need volume’

During a podcast, Meghna Gulzar said that each individual's expression of patriotism varies and isn't confined to one representation.

Meghna Gulzar’s Raazi and Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar may both revolve around spies and patriotism, but the two filmmakers take very different approaches to telling their stories. While Meghna’s 2018 film, starring Alia Bhatt as an Indian spy who secretly passes crucial defence secrets to India, explores patriotism through a more intimate and morally complex lens, Dhurandhar places violence and action at the centre of its narrative. In a recent interaction, Meghna opened up about the similarities and differences between the two films and how patriotism is portrayed on screen.

Meghna Gulzar spoke about Raazi and Dhurandhar.

‘Raazi’s characters aren’t any less patriotic than Dhurandhar’s characters’

Meghna spoke about the difference in how patriotism is portrayed in the two films during her appearance on the podcast Learn By KK Create. The director said that both Raazi and Dhurandhar have patriotic characters, but how their journeys are shown on screen depends on the story the filmmaker is telling.

When asked what she thinks about Dhurandhar and whether there is a difference between how she portrays patriotism and how it is portrayed in some other films, she responded, “The difference is in the story. I don't think Raazi's characters aren't any less patriotic than Dhurandhar's characters. It is their actions because of the way the story is. That is how they are depicted. One does not have to be right and the other has to be wrong. Patriotism and prayers don't need volume. And they aren't expressed in one particular way. Every individual has their own way of expression.”

When asked if there is any limit to the kind of patriotism she would show on screen, she said, “There is no limit. If the character does not have a limit, how will I have a limit? And there was no limit of Raazi's character's patriotism. She had a limit when it came to her moral compass.”

About Daayra

Meghna’s latest directorial, Daayra, stars Kareena Kapoor Khan and Malayalam star Prithviraj Sukumaran. The film deals with an encounter killing in which Prithviraj’s character, a police officer, kills accused in a brutal sexual assault case during a crime scene reconstruction. Kareena also plays a cop who believes in following the path of law rather than resorting to quick justice. The film explores the tricky moral boundary between justice, accountability and vigilante action.

About Dhurandhar

Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar is a two-part spy-action franchise starring Ranveer Singh. The films have emerged as major box-office successes -- minting ₹3000 crore -- becoming one of the biggest franchises in recent Hindi cinema.