300 people paid to troll: Anurag Kashyap claims ‘Dhurandhar’ review backlash was a smear campaign
Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap has claimed that the online harassment faced by film critics who gave negative reviews to Dhurandhar was a manufactured campaign rather than a genuine audience reaction. In a YouTube interview with critic Sucharita Tyagi published this week, Kashyap called the social media attacks "coordinated" and "not organic," describing the phenomenon as "a social media construct."
Kashyap went further, revealing personal knowledge of such operations. "One of my cousins runs a place like this, where 300 people sit, and they get paid for this. His whole business is this," he said, suggesting organised trolling operations are behind much of the online vitriol directed at critics.
Industry Silence
The filmmaker noted that he was among the few industry figures who publicly shared the Film Critics Guild of India's statement condemning the attacks. "From the industry, nobody shared," Kashyap said, adding that he was even questioned for doing so despite having praised aspects of the film.
The Film Critics Guild issued its statement in December 2025 after several members, including Anupama Chopra and Tyagi, faced intense trolling for their Dhurandhar reviews. The Guild's statement condemned "targeted attacks, harassment, and hate directed toward film critics" and said what began as disagreement had "rapidly devolved into coordinated abuse."
The Hollywood Reporter India removed Chopra's critical review of the film entirely following waves of online harassment.
Box Office Success Amid Controversy
Directed by Aditya Dhar and starring Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, R Madhavan, and Sanjay Dutt, Dhurandhar became the highest-grossing Hindi film of all time, earning over Rs 1,300 crore worldwide according to trade reports. The film's sequel, Dhurandhar The Revenge, is scheduled for release on March 19.
While praising Dhar's "courage" in making the film, Kashyap maintained a balanced stance on the controversy. "What is wrong is wrong, and what is right is right. How I like something does not mean I will force my opinion on someone else," he said.
Broader Pattern
The Guild warned that attempts to pressure critics into aligning with promotional narratives "sets a dangerous precedent." In its statement, the organisation said claims that professional critics have political bias are "unsubstantiated and malicious," adding that "film critics cannot be intimidated for doing their jobs."
Kashyap's interview comes as his 2023 film Kennedy prepares for its OTT premiere on Zee5 on February 20.