‘Equivalent to ISIS clips’: Dhruv Rathee slams violent trailer of Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar

Aditya Dhar’s upcoming spy thriller Dhurandhar has generated strong buzz since the trailer dropped, with many viewers praising its gritty tone and high-octane action. But the film’s graphic violence has also sparked controversy, with content creator and political commentator Dhruv Rathee publicly criticising the trailer for its extreme depiction of gore.

Rathee calls the trailer “excessively violent”

Shortly after the trailer’s release, Rathee posted on X (formerly Twitter) condemning the level of brutality shown. “Aditya Dhar has truly crossed a limit of cheapness in Bollywood,” he wrote. “The extreme violence, gore and torture shown in his latest film trailer is the equivalent of watching ISIS beheadings and calling it ‘entertainment’.”

He went on to accuse the filmmaker of glorifying violence for commercial appeal. “His lust for money is so unhinged that he is willingly poisoning the minds of the young generation, desensitizing them to gore and glorifying unimaginable torture,” Rathee added.

Rathee also urged the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to review the trailer’s graphic content, writing, “This is the chance for the Censor Board to show whether they have a bigger problem with people kissing or with someone being skinned alive.”

What the trailer shows

Dhurandhar features Ranveer Singh as an Indian spy operating in Pakistan, with Arjun Rampal, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt and R. Madhavan in key roles. Two violent sequences in particular have driven online debate — one showing Arjun Rampal’s character, an ISI Major, peeling a man’s skin, and another featuring Akshaye Khanna’s gangster character smashing a man’s head with a stone.

Fans defend the film’s tone

Despite Rathee’s criticism, many fans have embraced the trailer’s intensity.

A user wrote, “I’ve always been in a grey area about your content, but this tweet really shows how off you can be sometimes. It’s a movie ffs, directors have the creative freedom to show what fits their story. No one is forcing anyone to watch it. And honestly, if the director didn’t show this level of intensity, you’d probably say in your review, “Aah wo feel nahi aayi… kuch toh missing tha.” You don’t need to comment on every trending topic. Stick to the content you’re actually good at ,your audience will be healthier for it.”

Another user wrote, “The energy, the darkness, the atmosphere… feels like Shashwat just opened a new chapter in Indian music,” praising the background score. Another urged the CBFC not to censor the film: “Jaisa trailer me dikh raha hai, waisa hi theatre me bhi dikhna chahiye. No cuts, no blurs.”

The trailer was unveiled at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai in the presence of director Aditya Dhar, Ranveer Singh and the ensemble cast. The film also stars Sara Arjun and Rakesh Bedi in important roles.

Dhurandhar is set to release in theatres on December 5.