PM's Economic Advisory Council member Sanjeev Sanyal says he loved Dhurandhar: ‘If you don’t like it, don't watch it'

Member of the Prime Minister's Economic Advisory Council, Sanjeev Sanyal praised Dhurandhar's storytelling and encouraged diversity in cinema.

Filmmaker Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar franchise created a stir at the box office. The first part, released in December 2025, earned over ₹1,300 crore worldwide, while its sequel, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, went on to become the first Bollywood film to cross the ₹1,000 crore mark at the domestic box office. These achievements came despite the franchise being labelled “propaganda” and facing criticism over its depiction of violence. Now, Sanjeev Sanyal, a member of the Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister, has revealed that he loved the franchise.

Sanjeev Sanyal reacts to Dhurandhar being labelled propaganda.

Sanjeev Sanyal says he loved Dhurandhar

In an interview with News18, Sanjeev said that different kinds of films should have the space to tell stories and present different ideas. He said, "I did watch those two Dhurandar films and I really loved them," Sanyal said. “But you can tell that I didn’t really know many of the actors in that! I literally know who they are because of Dhurandhar."

He further reacted to the film being called propaganda and said, "My view is, let a hundred flowers bloom. For example, people in the past would make films which I would consider being ultra-left-wing, which was the default till very recently; I was told that if you don’t like it, don’t watch it. So my view remains that that’s a pretty good way of thinking about it. If you don’t like Dhurandhar, don’t watch it. If you don’t like Revolutionaries, don’t watch it. My idea is to present my ideas."

Starring Ranveer Singh in the lead role, alongside Arjun Rampal, Rakesh Bedi, Sara Arjun, Akshaye Khanna and Sanjay Dutt, Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar: The Revenge were massive critical and commercial successes. The franchise has collected over ₹3,000 crore worldwide.

About Sanjeev Sanyal’s upcoming work

Sanjeev Sanyal is currently awaiting the release of the show The Revolutionaries, which is based on his book Revolutionaries: The Other Story Of How India Won Its Freedom. Helmed by Nikkhil Advani, the show explores the lives of young Indian freedom fighters who believed armed resistance was essential to ending British colonial rule. The show stars Bhuvan Bam, Rohit Saraf, Pratibha Ranta, Gurfateh Pirzada, Jason Shah and Pratik Motwani in key roles. It is scheduled to release on Prime Video on September 11.

Talking about the show, Bhuvan said at the trailer launch, "I want to say a few things. All of you who follow the four of us might have seen that we have been working on the show for around the last two years and more. This show will be the year's best show and I say this will full confidence. This show comes out on September 11, watch it with your friends and family. More such shows should be made. We are very proud to be a part of it. Thank you all for showing so much support for us."