Tigmanshu Dhulia: Dhurandhar's Plot Isn't a Story, Blames 'Extreme Capitalism' for Formulaic Cinema

Filmmaker-actor Tigmanshu Dhulia has sparked a conversation about the state of storytelling in Hindi cinema by questioning the narrative substance of the recent action thriller Dhurandhar. Speaking at an event organized by the Editors Guild of India, Dhulia argued that the film's premise—an undercover spy creating chaos in Pakistan—does not constitute a proper story.

"There is a man who is an undercover spy, he goes to Pakistan and creates a ruckus there. This is not a story," Dhulia said, without commenting on the film's box-office performance.

Expanding his critique beyond the single film, Dhulia lamented a broader creative drought in the industry. He suggested that storytellers are being silenced by commercial anxieties, leading to a homogenization of content. "Stories are over in films. First of all, the storytellers are over and what they want to say is not allowed to be made," he remarked, adding that the fear of failure pushes producers toward a singular, safe template.

Dhulia attributed this creative stagnation to "extreme capitalism," arguing that the same commercial pressures are erasing individuality from everyday life. He observed that fashion, hairstyles, and even the character of cities are becoming indistinguishable, with everyone starting to look and feel the same.

The filmmaker is currently promoting his next directorial venture, Ghamasaan, a Bundelkhand-set action drama starring Pratik Gandhi and Arshad Warsi. The film, which follows an STF officer's mission to capture a feared dacoit leader, is slated for a direct-to-digital release on ZEE5 on September 11 after a two-year wait.