R Madhavan hits back at Dhurandhar criticism: One wonders if there is an agenda

Actor R Madhavan, who plays a significant role in Aditya Dhar's recently released film Dhurandhar, has spoken out about the polarised reactions the film has received since its release. The film, featuring Ranveer Singh, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun, Akshaye Khanna and Sanjay Dutt, received early negative reviews.
Madhavan expressed surprise at the backlash, with some critics calling it a "disaster" on release day.
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In an interview with Esquire India, Madhavan said, "When I heard Dhurandhar and saw the immaculate research that had been done by Aditya Dhar, the fearlessness of the man, the uniqueness of his storytelling—these were the signs I got before the release of my film. I knew that this was going to impact society. There will be people who will first give it very bad ratings, and then there will be people who will suddenly go and wonder, ‘Wow, this happened’."
Addressing the fairness of the film's negative reviews, Madhavan said, "You are free to express your opinion, but even before the film was released, obituaries had been written, and on its release, you posted a review calling it a disaster. One wonders if there is an agenda," he said.
Madhavan further discussed the challenges actors face when navigating public scrutiny. "But as actors, we thrive on this situation. Please don’t forget, irrespective of whatever your opinions and agendas are, we are a very lonely family, and it is our job, no matter how much you like or hate a product or a person. Don’t take a jibe at the industry like an outsider. We have enough of them already," he added.
Actor Yami Gautam, married to director Aditya Dhar, also spoke about the situation before the theatrical release of Dhurandhar. She highlighted concerns about paid campaigns and negative marketing in the film industry.
She wrote on X, "There is something I have been wanting to express for a really long time. I feel today is that day, and I must. This so-called trend of giving money, in the disguise of marketing a film, to ensure good ‘hype’ for a film is created or else ‘they’ will continuously write negative things (even before the film is released), until you pay ‘them’ money, feels nothing but a kind of extortion.(sic)"
Yami emphasised that the normalisation of creating artificial hype or negativity can harm both the filmmaking community and the audience, as advance opinions can shape viewers’ reception of a film.
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