‘Dhurandhar is disgusting’: Hotmail Founder Sabeer Bhatia criticises Ranveer Singh’s film; netizens say ‘we reject you’

Aditya Dhar’s Ranveer Singh-starrer Dhurandhar is making waves at the box office. Released in theaters in December last year, the film has collected over Rs 1,300 crore worldwide, despite not releasing in Gulf countries. The film received mixed reviews from critics but topped charts after its January release on Netflix.

Amid the backlash and accolades, Hotmail co-founder Sabeer Bhatia took to Instagram to share his review of the film.

Bhatia criticised Dhurandhar, calling it emotionally charged but lacking intellectual depth. He accused the film of promoting revenge and hate, urging viewers to reject it. In a video posted on his Instagram account, he captioned it: “Movies today aren’t made to emotionally empower you. They’re engineered to trigger you. Be cautious!”

In the video, he said, “Hey guys, I just watched the movie Dhurandhar. Emotionally charged, sensationalism, drama. But where is the intellectual component in this? All it is spreading is the message of revenge and hate. It’s disgusting.”

He added, “We don’t want our kids to be emotional reactors. We want the younger generation to be logical thinkers. Zero creativity. I know it’s a movie. I don’t think there is any entertainment in watching senseless killings and revenge. It promotes a certain line of thinking that is terrible.”

Bhatia further said, “It paints entire countries and institutions with a broad brush, without exploring the nuances of what’s really going on in people’s minds. Individuals are good or bad, not countries. I hope you get this message and reject Dhurandhar wholeheartedly.”

However, netizens slammed him for his strongly worded review.

One Instagram user commented, “Are you really expecting intellectualism in this era from a system that openly promotes hatred and propaganda? Some wishful thinking there. Kindness, love, empathy, compassion, fun, quality comedy, and originality are long dead.”

Others disagreed. One person wrote, “I disagree with you… Even Hollywood produces senseless movies sometimes, which have no meaning or added value. Some films are just made for entertainment; if you demand intellectual depth in every aspect, it’s unrealistic.”

Another comment read, “I respect you since the era of Windows 95, but what’s depicted in the movie is based on real incidents. Please don’t stoop to that level.”

The makers of Dhurandhar are yet to respond to Sabeer Bhatia’s comments.

Written, directed, and co-produced by Aditya Dhar, Dhurandhar was released in theatres on December 5, 2025. While the action-thriller is headlined by Ranveer Singh, it also features an ensemble cast including Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, R. Madhavan, Sara Arjun, and Rakesh Bedi, among others. Part 2, titled Dhurandhar: The Revenge, is set to hit cinemas on March 19.