'Dhurandhar paid propaganda': Akhilesh Yadav says Ranveer Singh-starrer was made to defame other parties

LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has criticised the government, alleging that the film Dhurandhar-2 is ‘paid propaganda’ and that public money is being used to defame opposition parties“You're making films by spending money to defame other parties; I think too much money has reached these people,” Yadav said, taking a swipe at the ruling establishment. He further claimed that the government was funding such projects and even spending on their releases.His remarks come amid the success of filmmaker Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar: The Revenge, starring Ranveer Singh, which has crossed Rs 300 crore at the domestic box office within three days of its release. The film, also featuring R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, Sara Arjun and Rakesh Bedi, was released last Thursday as a sequel to Dhar’s 2025 film Dhurandhar.Set in Karachi’s Lyari area, known for its history of gang wars, the franchise revolves around covert intelligence operations against the backdrop of major geopolitical and terror events, including the Kandahar plane hijack, the 2001 Parliament attack and the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.The sequel traces the rise of Ranveer Singh’s character, Hamza Ali Mazari, in Karachi’s underworld, while exploring his origins as Jaskirat Singh Rangi and his transformation into a covert operative.Produced by Jyoti Deshpande and Lokesh Dhar, the film has been released in multiple languages, including Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam.(With agency inputs)