Actor Arjun Rampal is garnering praise for his performance in Dhurandhar The Revenge. The spy thriller, directed by Aditya Dhar, features Arjun playing Major Iqbal, a ruthless and calculating ISI officer. At the HELLO! Hall of Fame Awards, Arjun spoke about his experience working on the film and ended by saying, ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai.’
However, writer Shobhaa De criticised this in her latest column in The Print, titled, ‘Why Arjun Rampal saying ’Bharat Mata ki Jai' should worry Bollywood audiences.' Arjun's girlfriend, Gabriella Demetriades, slammed it in the comments, writing, “This is outrageous.”
Arjun had recalled witnessing the horrors of the 26/11 attacks first-hand and revealed how working on Dhurandhar felt like a form of personal revenge. He said, “On my birthday, I saw the horrors of 26/11 play out. In the morning, when I drove back home, I had to stop at least three times because I felt like I was going to be sick. When Aditya Dhar narrated the 26/11 sequence to me, I knew I was going to have my revenge — and that’s what I did with Dhurandhar. All I want to say is, Bharat Mata Ki Jai.”
Dhurandhar: The Revenge has opened to positive reviews and a bumper start, collecting ₹145 crore on its first day. In just seven days, the film has reportedly crossed ₹700 crore at the domestic box office and ₹1000 crore worldwide.
