‘Tool for manipulation’: Internet thinks Mammootty film writer's cryptic note is about Dhurandhar 2 The Revenge

Writer-filmmaker Devadath Shaji posted a cryptic note on his Instagram about ‘high quality making’ that many believe is a dig at Dhurandhar: The Revenge.

Aditya Dhar’s Ranveer Singh-starrer Dhurandhar: The Revenge hit screens on Thursday with paid premieres on Wednesday. The film seems to be recreating the first film’s magic at the box office, even as numerous celebrities are all praise for the sequel. Amid this, Malayalam writer-filmmaker Devadath Shaji took to his Instagram to share his opinion on the film.

Ranveer Singh in a still from Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar: The Revenge.

Mammootty film writer on Dhurandhar 2

Devadath, writer of Mammootty’s 2022 film Bheeshma Parvam, and director of the 2025 film Dheeran, took to his Instagram stories and posted a cryptic note that read: “If a movie uses high quality making to validate a wrong idea, the technical skill becomes a tool for manipulation!” While he didn't name Dhurandhar 2, it wasn’t hard to connect the dots, given how he used the song FA9LA by Flipperachi from the first film in the note he posted. Many on the internet also seemed to agree that his note was about Dhurandhar 2.

A screengrab of Devadath Shaji's Instagram stories about Dhurandhar 2.

Internet reacts to Devadath Shaji’s statement

A screenshot of his note soon began circulating on X (formerly Twitter) and Reddit. One Redditor posted the screengrab, writing, “We all know what movie he’s talking about.” Another opined, “this is really concerning. gotta admit that the movie is peak in terms of quality, but a silent propoganda. not many will notice it though. commoners are easy to manipulate and polarize.”

“Dhurandhar 2 works as a film to some extent, but this particular second part feels like it’s made purely for propaganda. The first part had subtle hints of it, but this one openly shows what it stands for,” wrote one Redditor, while another brought up the flak Mohanlal’s L2 Empuraan faced, writing, “The irony is that people who protest against Empuraan support this movie and say that movie should not be taken as serious or some bs words.”

However, there were others who did not agree with Devadath, with an X user claiming, “Then bajarangi bhaijan is a propaganda movie as well.” Another opined, “See you cannot make a 4 hour movie with Propaganda. If Shaji didn’t like the movie I respect that. If he didn’t like the movie then do not say that it is propaganda.”

Dhurandhar: The Revenge shows the rise of Jaskirat Singh Rangi, alias Hamza Ali Mazari, as the new Sher-e-Baloch of Lyari. An Indian spy sent to Pakistan to bring down a terror group, he begins to silently unleash chaos from the inside.