R Madhavan Rejects ‘Propaganda’ Tag on Dhurandhar: ‘How Can Being Indian Be Seen as a Wrong Thing?’

R Madhavan has pushed back against the political labels attached to both his public persona and some of his recent films, arguing that pride in India should not automatically be interpreted as support for a particular political ideology.

Speaking to Galatta Plus while promoting GDN, the actor addressed criticism directed at Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar, as well as similar accusations previously made about his directorial debut Rocketry: The Nambi Effect.

Madhavan questioned the very premise behind describing an Indian identity as excessive.

“I don’t understand how being an Indian can be seen as a wrong thing,” he said, before questioning what critics mean when they describe something as “overly Indian.”

But his comments went beyond defending one film. Madhavan used the conversation to explain how he separates patriotism, political affiliation and his responsibility as an actor portraying real or fictional characters.

Madhavan questions the ‘propaganda’ criticism of Dhurandhar

Dhurandhar generated debate alongside its considerable commercial success, with some critics and viewers describing aspects of Aditya Dhar’s spy-action film as propaganda or politically loaded.

Madhavan does not agree with that interpretation.

Discussing the criticism, he pointed to the film’s Pakistan setting and argued that its story depicts events and actions affecting India rather than functioning, in his view, as a political statement.

“So, I don’t understand what the ‘propaganda’ in it is,” he said.

That should be reported specifically as Madhavan’s assessment of the film, rather than as an objective resolution of the debate.

Whether a viewer or critic considers a film propagandistic is ultimately an interpretation. Madhavan’s comments establish how he views Dhurandhar and responds to that criticism; they do not make the criticism itself factually invalid.

That distinction is particularly important with a politically debated film.

What Dhurandhar is actually about

Official information provides useful context for Madhavan’s argument.

The Central Board of Film Certification describes Dhurandhar as a story in which Intelligence Bureau chief Ajay Sanyal, played by Madhavan, devises a mission to infiltrate and disrupt a terrorist network in Pakistan following the IC-814 hijacking and the 2001 Parliament attack.

Jio Studios’ official promotional material confirms that the film was written and directed by Aditya Dhar and stars Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, Madhavan, Arjun Rampal and Sara Arjun. It was produced by Jyoti Deshpande, Aditya Dhar and Lokesh Dhar.

That first-party and regulatory material is more useful for establishing the film’s actual premise and production information than interpretations circulating around it.

What it cannot establish is whether the film should or should not be considered propaganda. That remains a matter of critical interpretation.

Madhavan connects the debate to Rocketry

Madhavan also linked the Dhurandhar discussion to criticism he encountered following Rocketry: The Nambi Effect.

The 2022 film, which Madhavan directed and starred in, dramatised the life of former ISRO scientist Nambi Narayanan.

According to Madhavan, criticism arose over elements including the depiction of Narayanan’s religious practices.

His response is based on character authenticity.

Madhavan argued that if the real person he is portraying visits a temple, representing that characteristic on screen should not automatically be interpreted as the filmmaker making a political statement.

He contrasted Narayanan with inventor and engineer G.D. Naidu, whom he portrays in GDN. Madhavan described Naidu as an atheist and argued that the same principle applies in the opposite direction: a filmmaker should portray that characteristic truthfully too.

For Madhavan, therefore, the common thread isn't religion.

It is fidelity to the person being portrayed.

‘I have to be true to that character’

This part of Madhavan’s argument is arguably more revealing than the headline-making reference to being Indian.

He said an actor’s responsibility is to portray characters as they are rather than changing defining characteristics because of how audiences might politically interpret them.

“I have to be true to that character,” Madhavan said while explaining his approach.

That position links three very different projects.

Rocketry deals with Nambi Narayanan.

GDN centres on G.D. Naidu.

Dhurandhar is an espionage drama rather than a conventional biographical film.

Madhavan’s argument is that portraying Indian identity, religious practice or patriotism within those stories should not automatically establish the filmmaker or performer’s political allegiance.

Madhavan also addresses being called a ‘sanghi’

The conversation became more personal when Madhavan addressed political labels directed at him online.

He said his upbringing conditioned him to love his country but maintained that this should not be confused with allegiance to a political party.

Madhavan said he has not publicly attacked political parties or their leaders and that when he sees something he considers positive, he is willing to acknowledge it regardless of who is responsible.

He also spoke about elected leadership.

According to Madhavan, once someone becomes a Prime Minister or Chief Minister through the electoral process, he considers it his duty to support the officeholder while they govern. He said no political party at either the national or Tamil Nadu level had approached him to promote it or asked him to join.

That clarification is important because it makes his stated position more specific than simply saying he is “apolitical.”

Madhavan is expressing a personal philosophy about supporting elected officeholders while denying organisational allegiance to a particular party.

His response to online criticism is more complicated

Madhavan also explained how he evaluates criticism on social media.

He said he looks at factors including the nature of a comment, when an account was created and how many followers it has when deciding whether he believes he is dealing with genuine criticism or a bot or paid account.

This part of his argument requires careful attribution.

Those indicators may influence Madhavan’s assessment, but they do not independently prove that a particular account is paid or automated.

A recently created account with few followers is not automatically a bot.

The responsible formulation is therefore that Madhavan says he uses those indicators to judge the credibility of online criticism-not that those criteria definitively identify paid trolling.

Dhurandhar's official record

The controversy around the film can easily overshadow the actual production details.

Dhurandhar was released theatrically on December 5, 2025. Jio Studios presented the B62 Studios production, with Aditya Dhar serving as writer, director and producer.

The CBFC certified the Hindi film A, listing B62 Studios and Jio Studios as producers and recording Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Akshaye Khanna and Sara Arjun among its principal cast.

The franchise subsequently continued with Dhurandhar: The Revenge in 2026.

JioHotstar later announced an expanded “RAW and Undekha” version of Dhurandhar for streaming from May 22, 2026, describing it as containing additional unseen material.

Those details establish the scale and continuing commercial life of the property independently of the political discussion surrounding it.

The Celebrity Hour Take

The strongest part of Madhavan’s interview isn't actually his rhetorical question about how being Indian could be considered wrong.

It is the distinction he is trying to draw between representation, patriotism and political endorsement.

Those three ideas are frequently collapsed into one another when politically sensitive films are discussed.

A movie can portray patriotism without every viewer agreeing with its politics.

An actor can express pride in India without that automatically proving allegiance to a particular party.

And critics can still examine whether a film’s selection and framing of events carries an ideological message.

Those positions can coexist.

That is why Madhavan’s response should neither be presented as the definitive answer to the Dhurandhar debate nor dismissed merely because the movie attracted political criticism.

His comments are valuable because they explain how one of the film’s principal actors understands the criticism.

The Rocketry comparison sharpens his position.

Madhavan’s argument is essentially that authenticity cannot depend on whether a real person’s characteristics fit comfortably within contemporary political discourse. If Nambi Narayanan is religious, he believes that can be depicted. If G.D. Naidu was an atheist, that should be depicted too.

That is a more substantial creative argument than simply saying patriotism is good or criticism is bad.

There is another distinction worth preserving.

Madhavan’s claim that he is not aligned with a political party is a statement about his own position. His comments about supporting elected Prime Ministers and Chief Ministers explain what that position means to him.

Readers can decide how persuasive they find that distinction.

A responsible entertainment report does not need to make that decision for them.

It needs to accurately represent what Madhavan said, establish the factual context around Dhurandhar, acknowledge that criticism of the film exists and avoid converting either side’s interpretation into an uncontested fact.

That gives readers considerably more information than another headline announcing that an actor “slammed trolls.”

Sources & Verification

The central comments in this report originate from R Madhavan’s conversation with Galatta Plus and were independently cross-checked against contemporary coverage from The Indian Express, NDTV, Hindustan Times and India Today. Official Jio Studios promotional material and the CBFC’s certification record were used separately to establish Dhurandhar’s cast, filmmakers, release information and official plot description. JioStar’s May 2026 announcement was used for the film’s subsequent JioHotstar release.