Prominent economist and member of the Prime Minister’s Economic Advisory Council, Sanjeev Sanyal, has stepped into the ongoing political and creative debate surrounding the blockbuster movie Dhurandhar. Addressing the persistent labels describing the film as a propaganda piece, Sanyal shared a fresh and pragmatic perspective during a recent interview, advocating for complete creative liberty in Indian cinema.
Despite the divided opinion over the film’s political undertones, Sanyal praised the project and confirmed that he thoroughly enjoyed watching both installments of the popular action franchise. He admitted that while he was not initially familiar with many of the actors featured in the film, watching the story unfold provided him with a great opportunity to discover and appreciate their talent on the big screen.
In response to the growing trend of tagging films with specific ideological viewpoints as political propaganda, Sanyal urged audiences and critics to adopt a simple and balanced rule. Drawing a direct parallel to how mainstream cinema was dominated by leftist narratives and socio-political themes until recently, he highlighted that critics of such themes were traditionally given very simple advice, which was to just skip the movie if they disliked the underlying philosophy or messaging.
Applying that exact same logic to current cinematic releases, Sanyal stated that filmmakers today should have the absolute freedom to present their unique perspective to the public without facing censorship, public hostility, or premature boycotts, leaving viewers with the freedom to choose whether or not to watch.
Emphasizing his stance through the philosophy of “let a hundred flowers bloom,” he noted that film projects serve as an essential medium to express diverse ideas, and audiences ultimately hold the final authority to accept or ignore them based on their own choices.
Expanding on the nature of public discourse surrounding modern entertainment, Sanyal mentioned that cinema has always reflected the evolving cultural, historical, and socio-political climate of its time. He observed that when storytelling changes direction or explores non-traditional angles, it naturally attracts controversy, but labelling every film that presents a specific worldview as propaganda weakens constructive public discussion.
Cinema, according to Sanyal, is an art form meant to provoke thought, entertain, and spark conversations, and attempting to stifle certain narratives simply because they do not align with particular political leanings harms the artistic landscape as a whole.
Connecting his thoughts on artistic expression and creative freedom to his own upcoming media project, Sanyal also touched upon The Revolutionaries, a web series based on his acclaimed book that explores the armed struggle during the Indian independence movement.
He pointed out that historical stories, much like contemporary blockbusters, carry specific detailed narratives that deserve the room to be told without immediate ideological backlash or dismissive commentary. By allowing filmmakers, authors, and creators to freely tell distinct stories from various perspectives, Indian cinema can build a far more mature environment where multiple viewpoints coexist peacefully, giving viewers the ultimate choice to decide what content resonates with them best.
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