As Dhurandhar continues to spark intense discussions online particularly over its violent themes actor R Madhavan has finally addressed the early wave of negative reviews. In a recent interview with Puja Talwar, the actor said he was neither surprised nor affected by the criticism, noting that he has experienced similar responses in the past with films that later became defining moments in Indian cinema.
Madhavan shared that he anticipated backlash even before the film’s release. “From the very beginning, I knew this was going to impact society. There will be people who will first give it very bad ratings,” he said, recalling how Rang De Basanti and 3 Idiots faced skepticism and polarised reactions when they first hit theatres. Both films, however, went on to achieve cult status.
According to Madhavan, early detractors often lose relevance over time, while the film’s legacy endures. “The people who gave two ratings have become irrelevant. We are still in the industry,” he remarked, adding that his intention was not to dismiss critics but to remind viewers that cinema evolves and so should its evaluation.
Reflecting on past experiences, he noted that Rang De Basanti was once doubted by distributors and prematurely written off by sections of the media. The actor sees the pattern repeating with Dhurandhar, and remains unfazed: “When this happened with Dhurandhar, I thought been there, done that.”
Madhavan also criticised the trend of instant online verdicts, where reviewers and YouTubers declare films “disasters” within hours, often without fully understanding the narrative. For him, the real measure of a film’s value lies in the impact it creates over time not its opening-day ratings.
