• By Surarika Das
  • Tue, 07 Apr 2026 08:24 PM (IST)
  • Source:JND
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The Bollywood movie Dhurandhar is making headlines every day, not just for the box office earnings, acting, or direction but also for the impact it is creating across the country with the elections at the edge. The film is acting as a prop in several states of India, from Kerala to Assam, and now it has also stepped into Uttar Pradesh.

The first part of the movie also raised controversies across the country, with some calling it propaganda while the others praised its plot. However, the second part was released at a time when elections were peeking from the window. The dialogues and imagery are now being being used by politicians and leaders in the country.

Let's have a look at how Dhurandhar has come out of the theaters to election campaigns and brewing controversies.

‘Akhilesh Ka Lyari Raj’

The most intriguing flashpoint came from Uttar Pradesh. With the Vidhan Sabha elections of 2027, in which the ruling BJP hopes to continue its reign, posters inspired by the film have appeared in parts of Lucknow and Amethi, targeting opposition leader Akhilesh Yadav of the Samajwadi Party.

The posters say, "Aap ko kya chahiye? Akhilesh ka Lyari raj." The slogans direct to Akhilesh Yadav, and the Lyari reference comes from the movie. Dhurandhar is a neighbourhood of Karachi notorious for gang violence. It also shows Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath as "Dhurandhar," which means stalwart.

The posters were spotted in several areas of Lucknow and Amethi and have been reportedly put up by the 'Youth Against Mafia’ group.

A party spokesperson in Amethi, Rajesh Mishra, reacted to the incident and said the posters reflected the "frustration and desperation" of the ruling BJP. "Such tactics are being used because the BJP has realised it would not return to power," he said, and claimed the public was "aware of these attempts to mislead."


PM Modi Slams Opposition

The next incident reached the top of India's political game. Prime Minister Narendra Modi criticised Congress and the Left for labeling Dhurandhar and some other movies as "lies."

"Congress, UDF, and LDF have developed a habit of lying about everything," he said. "When we brought in CAA—(the Citizenship Amendment Act that sparked protests in 2019-20 over alleged discrimination against Muslims)—they spread so many lies; today, CAA has been implemented, and the country has suffered no harm. When the film ‘Kerala Files’ came out, they started saying ‘it's all lies’; when ‘Kashmir Files’ came out, they started saying ‘it's all lies’; when the film ‘Dhurandhar’ came, they again said it was based on lies.”

The most unexpected use of "Dhurandhar" was done by Aam Aadmi Party leader Raghav Chaddha. The leader was recently removed as the party's deputy leader in the Upper House and released a video response to allegations from party seniors including Atishi, Saurabh Bharadwaj, and Sanjay Singh, who have said he’s been raising “soft issues” and not targeting PM Modi and the BJP-led NDA over real issues.

Posting a video on X, Chaddha said, "There is a scripted campaign against me. They are using the same language, the same issues, and the same allegations." The ending part was shocking as Chaddha said, "Ghayal hoon, isliye ghatak hoon." — "I am wounded; therefore, I am dangerous." The dialogue further references two Sunny Deol action films.

Assam CM's statements Created Major Controversy

Assam Chief Minister Hemanta Biswa Sarma said the viewers of the movie are of ofcourse "BJP and RSS supporters and will undoubtedly vote for the BJP.

"Just look at how many people are going to watch it," he said. "It means that there are several BJP-RSS people around the world. People are going to watch it in large numbers. That means those who are going to watch 'Dhurandhar' are going to vote for the BJP. It is good for us."

The contentious statements had somehow made the speculations of the critics true. The analysts said that the film served a political purpose by praising the BJP and Modi’s regime even at the cost of twisting facts and taking artistic liberty.

Amid all the ifs and buts about the "purpose" of the movie, Director Aditya made some statements as well. He said, “I genuinely feel that the current government doesn't need a small film like ours to win an election. They built the Ram Mandir — something that took 500 years to achieve — so I don't think they rely on us for votes." On his intent, he said the film was made with “patriotic purpose." “Audiences are smart enough not to fall for such claims," he said.

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