‘Dhadak 2’ director Shazia Iqbal faces online heat, turns Instagram private after calling ‘Dhurandhar’ ‘sinister’

Shazia Iqbal has sparked an online debate after her recent take on Aditya Dhar’s ‘Dhurandhar’. The ‘Dhadak 2’ director shared her unfiltered opinion on Instagram, describing the Ranveer Singh-led Netflix film as “sinister,” though she didn’t mention its name directly. Her post, however, didn’t go unnoticed, as netizens quickly caught on and called her out for the remark.Taking to Instagram, Shazia voiced her disapproval of ‘Dhurandhar’ without explicitly naming the movie. Sharing her thoughts through stories, she wrote, “What a sinister film! It’s not hidden, it’s not unintentional, inciting hate and violence is in the DNA of the film,” and further added, “But it’s a ‘well-made’ film, guys… with some cool BGM. Well done, industry dude bros. Glad that most of y’all don’t care about minorities enough to even hide your blatant apathy.” After Shazia’s posts surfaced, screenshots of her remarks quickly spread across social media, sparking widespread reactions. Users on Instagram and X (formerly Twitter) took aim at her opinion, with one person writing, “Did Shazia Iqbal watch her own project ‘Sacred Games’ for the first time? Or was it ‘Houseful 2’?”a reference to her work as a production designer on those titles. Another user added, “I genuinely think she wants to be cool but we all know what Dhurandhar is.”Shazia isn’t alone in expressing discomfort with Dhurandhar’s political undertones. Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap also weighed in on the film recently, noting, “I liked the film, but I didn't like some of the ideologies. The dialogue about 'This is the new India' and one long political monologue, among a total of three scenes, were unnecessary; even without them, the film's impact would not have diminished.”Hrithik Roshan also shared his appreciation for the film following its December release. He wrote, “I may disagree with the politics of it, and argue about the responsibilities us filmmakers should bear as citizens of the world. Nevertheless, can't ignore how loved and learnt from this one as a student of cinema. Amazing.”‘Dhurandhar’ boasts a star-studded lineup featuring Ranveer Singh, Sara Arjun, Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, and several others. The film amassed over Rs 1328 crore globally during its theatrical run before premiering on Netflix. Its sequel, ‘Dhurandhar 2’, is slated to release in cinemas on March 19, 2026.