Veteran actor Annu Kapoor he weighed in on the ongoing debate over political narratives in films, responding to claims that the events and timelines of Dhurandhar have been distorted to suit a particular ideology.Speaking to Siddharth Kannan, the veteran actor made it clear that propaganda in cinema is not new and has been around for decades.“As far as I know, the film has earned around 800-900 crores. So what’s the problem? Others can also make such films,” he said, “Propaganda has always been there. It’s not new.”
“This is a democracy, the majority decides”
Citing examples from the past, Annu Kapoor cited older films like Kissa Kursi Ka, which faced bans, to highlight how cinema has long intersected with politics.“This is a democracy. Twists and distortions have always been there and will always be there. If the majority accepts something, that’s how the country works,” he said.Using a relatable analogy, Kapoor adds that just as a podcast becomes popular because more people watch it, films also grow with public support. “Why cry? Winning and losing are part of life,” he declared.
About the change in power dynamics
The actor also addressed the ongoing conversation about changing power dynamics in the film industry, especially the rise of outsiders.Dismissing the idea that this is a recent change, Kapoor said, “This has always happened. Earlier, we didn’t see it because the media wasn’t that strong.”He listed some of the biggest legends of Hindi cinema, noting that many of them were outside the industry: Dilip KumarDev Anand, Dharmendra, Rajesh KhannaAmitabh Bachchan, Vinod Khanna and Shah Rukh Khan.“They were all outsiders. They didn’t have a godfather. They did it themselves,” he said.
“Nepotism does not guarantee success”
Touching on the nepotism debate, Kapoor said that while industry insiders support their children, success ultimately depends on the audience.“A father supports his child, that’s natural. But if only nepotism worked, every child star would be a superstar. That’s not reality,” he explained.According to Kapoor, social media has only intensified these conversations, making the dynamics of the industry more visible than before.“Nowadays, everything takes center stage because of social networks. But, in truth, the system has not changed as much as people think”, he concluded.
