Film Critics Guild in India condemns scathing online attacks on reviewers of ‘Dhurandhar’

Dubai: The Film Critics Guild has issued a strong statement condemning what it called “targeted attacks, harassment and hate” directed at several of its members over their reviews of the new Hindi film Dhurandhar.

In a note released on Thursday, the Guild in India said routine disagreements over film reviews had now “devolved into coordinated abuse”, with critics facing personal trolling campaigns and “organised attempts” to undermine their professional credibility.

Directed by Aditya Dhar and featuring Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, R Madhavan and Sanjay Dutt, the film opened in theatres on December 5.

According to the Guild, its members have been subjected to intimidation in recent days, including direct threats and “vicious online campaigns aimed at silencing their perspectives” for expressing their professional evaluation of the film.

Among those targeted were Anupama Chopra and Sucharita Tyagi, both part of the organisation’s managing committee. Chopra’s review for The Hollywood Reporter India, which took a critical stance on the film, was later removed by the publication following waves of social media trolling.

More troubling, the Guild said, were recent attempts by unidentified actors to “tamper with existing reviews, influence editorial positions, and persuade publications to alter or dilute their stance.”

The escalation, it noted, follows a broader trend of “frequent devaluing and ridiculing” of film criticism by various industry voices.

“This willingness to police opinion sets a dangerous precedent,” the Guild’s statement said. It added that allegations of ideological or political bias among professional critics were “unsubstantiated and malicious.”

The Guild said it remains deeply concerned about the safety and wellbeing of film reviewers nationwide and urged both the public and the industry to recognise that disagreements over a film are natural — but coercing critics to conform is not.

“Liking or disliking a film is your right,” the Guild said, “but expecting critics to fall in line is not.”

Dhurandhar has not released in the Gulf countries including the UAE and Saudi Arabia.