Is Dhurandhar part of Operation Sindoor?

What does a Bollywood masala film have to do with India’s military operation?

It has been about 2 weeks since the release of Dhurandhar, a spy drama set in the ganglands of Lyari in Pakistan. Ever since, it has created a sensation at the box office and in the media on a scale not seen in recent times for any film. At a time when films are made just to get a bumper opening in the 1st weekend, Dhurandhar, after 2 weeks, is running to packed houses in many parts of India. Its box-office collections have been setting records in India every other day. People are thronging the theatres for a repeat watch. Almost every film critic has shared their opinion of the film in the media. On social media, there are reviews, opinions, reels, shorts and videos galore on the film. Considering the film’s subject, the reactions have been polarising, though the favourable ones far outnumber the others.

On top of that, “1st and last day as a spy in Pakistan” memes based on Durandhar are trending across all social media platforms. Reels and shorts featuring songs from the film have been topping the charts and on everyone’s lips for some time now. This kind of post-release hype and frenzy, which seems organic and not part of any planned promotion, has been unprecedented.

Durandhar has sparked a wave of ‘FOMO” across the country. Therefore, besides the usual film critics, journalists, celebrities, actors, directors, experts, commentators, and their dogs have been watching the movie and sharing their opinions. Mind you, this doesn’t happen for all movies. In social gatherings, discussions invariably veer towards questions like “Have you watched Dhurandhar? Did you like it?” What explains this frenzy for a film?

First, it is a film with a nationalistic theme, namely the India-Pakistan conflict, at its core. Second, it is based on some critical events that have scarred a whole generation of Indians, such as the IC 814 hijack, the attack on the Indian Parliament, and the 26/11 terrorist attack in Mumbai. Third, in terms of story, it is about a successful Indian spy who is planted in the badlands of Pakistan to infiltrate and take “badla” for all the above heinous acts by the Pakistan state. Fourth, as a film, it is well made. The film is quite engaging despite its length. If you have not read my review of Dhurandhar, please read it here.

As per the film’s long disclaimer, it is only a work of fiction. Here is the masterstroke. By showing real events as the backdrop and interspersing the film with many real incidents, while calling it a piece of fiction, it leaves it to the viewers’ imagination to separate fact from fiction. It allows viewers to celebrate all highs as facts, while at the same time enabling creators to disown them if challenged in a legal battle.

Now, here’s the catch. While almost everyone has talked about the film, you will not find anyone in the ruling political establishment or the military/intelligence community alluding to it. If you remember, films like The Kashmir Files received a nod of approval and endorsement from even the Prime Minister. It is obvious that a movie like Dhurandhar would not have been made without the blessings of the ruling establishment and the agencies concerned.  That said, the reason for not publicly endorsing Dhurandhar is clear. No one in the system would like to give Pakistan or the global community an opportunity to claim that India is carrying out covert operations and meddling in the affairs of its neighbour. However, the film clearly indicates to people in both Pakistan and India what India has been up to when its diplomatic soft-pedalling doesn’t act as a deterrent. The film has become a super-duper hit because it successfully taps into the anger among Indians towards Pakistan by showing something relatable (real events), believable (real characters), and feel-good (the spy’s successful mission).

Not just Dhurandhar, there has been a spate of films and web series like Salakaar (a web series now streaming on Jio Hotstar) and Mission Majnu (a spy thriller out on Netflix), which are based on real-life events and characters set against the backdrop of the Ind-Pak political rivalry. These also carry a disclaimer that the proceedings have been fictionalised to keep them interesting while keeping them away from legal scrutiny. For a long time, we have not seen such films come out in the open that are based on or inspired by real events. But in the past few years, we have seen them come out – like Uri: The Surgical Strikes, Avrodh (web series), Article 370, etc.

This brings me to my hypothesis for this piece. From India’s strategic standpoint, what Dhurandhar and others do is set the narrative and win it. If you recall, in May, India launched Operation Sindoor – a full-fledged air strike on strategic targets deep inside Pakistan in retaliation for the killing of innocent Indians by Pakistan-supported militants in Pahalgam. While India successfully bombed strategic targets, including Pakistani military airbases, and meticulously defended its strategic assets, the narrative of Operation Sindoor was diluted when India quickly acceded to a ceasefire. The feeling among ordinary citizens was that India let Pakistan off the hook easily after having crippled its air defence in Operation Sindoor. This was unfortunate, given the military’s fabulous job of bringing Pakistan to its knees.

Though the military strikes were called off, India has maintained that Operation Sindoor has only been paused. I see allowing films like Dhurandhar to run their nationalist course in the media as part of Operation Sindoor, through which mind games are being won. The film and the unabated commentary on it communicate a lot about what the government does and can do to its people without being explicit. In my opinion, this is a new front that the present ruling establishment has opened in taking on Pakistan. No one will openly admit to this, which is also part of the strategy.