Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan has opined that he doesn't agree with the politics of Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar, the latest Hindi blockbuster, which is deemed by critics to be anti-Pakistan in an unfair way. His opinion has blown up, with lakhs of netizens across the country engaged in either trolling him or backing him.
Many have accused Hrithik of acting in three "propaganda" movies in the past. Fiza (2000) is cited as the first example. "Right-wing critiques label it as glorifying terrorism by framing radicals as victims of systemic injustice rather than inherent evil. They argue it dilutes accountability for Islamist violence, empathizes with bombers (inspired by real events like the 1993 blasts), and pushes a 'blame India/Hindus' narrative," says an article by Scroll from 2016.
Mission Kashmir, another Hrithik movie, is accused of justifying jihad. By attributing militancy to "personal trauma from the army", the contentious movie shifts blame from radical Islam and Pakistan to India, ignoring the 1990 Kashmiri Pandit genocide. The film was panned when The Kashmir Files was released in 2022.
Ashutosh Gowarikar's Jodhaa Akbar, starring Hrithik and Aishwarya Rai, is accused of glorifying Muslim invaders. "Akbar was shown as a benevolent hero, ignoring his role in expanding the Mughal empire through violence against Hindus. Hrithik had no problem doing such a film. What does he know about history? What was portrayed in Jodhaa Akbar didn't happen in real life. The romance between the titular characters never happened," a commentator said.
