Delhi: Almost everyone has likely watched the film Dhurandhar in a theater at least once. The reasons for this lie in the film’s thrilling narrative, its patriotic fervor, its substantive content, and the director’s exceptional attention to real-life details.
However, while watching this film, we were reminded of a towering personality—the late Tarek Fatah.
Tarek Fatah was a journalist, thinker, and author born in Pakistan, yet he identified himself as an Indian at heart. He left Pakistan in the 1970s, initially worked in the Gulf nations, and later became a permanent resident of Canada. He passed away in 2023. His thoughts, speeches, and podcasts remain popular in India to this day. This is largely because he was a staunch critic of the Pakistani government, its military, and Islamic terrorism—a spirit of dissent that was clearly evident in his speeches.
Everything he articulated in his interviews has been portrayed with remarkable fidelity by Aditya Dhar in the characterizations within his films, Dhurandhar 1 and Dhurandhar 2. The films illustrate how the underworld, terrorism, Pakistani politics, and the country’s military collectively unleash a reign of terror across the nation. Even today, the Baloch people continue to fall victim to this very form of violence. The film starkly depicts how, under the guise of personal advancement or through fabricated accusations, their children and youth are exploited and systematically killed.
Our gratitude goes to Dhurandhar and its team for presenting this reality with such meticulous detail—not only to India but to the entire world. It would be short-sighted to measure the success of this film solely by box-office metrics, as its global impact continues to grow exponentially. Certain themes within the film are bound to become subjects of discussion on international platforms, thereby lending momentum to causes such as Baloch freedom.
Furthermore, this film has significantly strengthened India’s public relations narrative. Influencers—both large and small—across digital platforms are now discussing these critical issues, helping to shape a more informed global perspective. The film not only pays tribute to Indian intelligence but also honors voices like Tarek Fatah—individuals who consistently brought attention to sensitive and often overlooked realities. It was Tarek Fatah who first brought the issues concerning the Baloch people into mainstream discourse in India.
Have you ever heard Tarek Fatah discussing these very topics—now explored in depth in Dhurandhar—on any previous occasion?
