The conversation around Dhurandhar continues months after its release, with the film remaining one of the most debated projects in recent times. From social media discussions and political commentary to fan-driven trends and public discourse, the film generated widespread attention throughout its theatrical run. Now, the head of Jio Studios, Jyoti Deshpande has finally addressed the backlash and criticism surrounding the film in an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, particularly focusing on allegations that it attempted to marginalize a specific community.

EXCLUSIVE: Jio Studios head Jyoti Deshpande breaks silence on Dhurandhar backlash: “We made a film against terrorism, not against any community”

Speaking about the intense reactions to Dhurandhar, the studio head reflected on how the film evolved beyond a regular theatrical release and became deeply embedded in popular culture. According to him, the very fact that audiences strongly reacted to the film — whether positively or negatively — indicated its impact. “You know what I found interesting? See any film that moves people to a reaction is a good result. Okay. uh because they’ve been able to love it or not love it but they’ve not been able to ignore it. Dhurandhar became so much a part of popular culture for 4 months straight. It was in the news, people couldn’t stop talking about it. Political campaigns were being run around it. You know in an NFL game it was being played. In a ski resort it was being played. The Finland prime minister was – you know so I think it sort of crossed over cricketing cricket teams were using Dhurandhar tracks um so you couldn’t escape it”, she told Bollywood Hungama.

Deshpande further stated that the scale of discussions around the film eventually moved beyond the control of the studio itself. He emphasized that the conversations, debates, trolling, and defence of the film were largely audience-driven rather than strategically orchestrated as part of a promotional campaign. She added, “Then the polarization becomes completely irrelevant because literally we as a company were doing nothing. People were posting something, people were defending it. It was out of our hands as in a manner of speaking. So we were not architecting any of it. So I would not take credit for the marketing blitz creek or any such thing because the film took a life of its own. And when something becomes part of popular culture, it is something that you cannot script and it is something that money cannot buy”.

Addressing the criticism directed at the film’s themes and political undertones, the Jio Studios head firmly defended the intent behind Dhurandhar and reiterated that the project was never designed to target or marginalize any particular community. “I have a strong voice and I believe in the films that I make and I believe in the tone that they take. I’m a patriot. I believe that you know I understand the difference between marginalization of a community versus terrorism. Yeah. And I believe we made a film that was uh you know our country against terrorism and we were not trying to marginalize any other community and I will stand by that statement”, she shared.

Speaking of the films, Dhurandhar which released as a two-part film series did record-breaking business at the box office. With Ranveer Singh headlining the cast, it also starred an ensemble cast including Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Akshaye Khanna, among others.

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