National spokesperson of the Indian National Congress (AICC), Shama Mohamed recently watched Dhurandhar Part 1 and praised the film for its "excellent" direction. Following this, a user named Shoaib Ali Mohammed, an IIT and IIM graduate, criticised her for watching what he called a "propaganda" film that allegedly portrayed Muslims in a "bad light." Responding to the allegation, Shama Mohamed clarified that the film "did not show Muslims in bad light but Pakistanis."
Shama Mohamed strongly dismissed the claims of the film being propaganda, saying, "It did not show Muslims in bad light but Pakistanis in bad light ! Shame on you for confusing the two." She further criticised the user, stating, "People like you spoil the name of Muslims in India."
Escalating the exchange, she added, "You are most welcome to leave India & take the citizenship of Pakistan." The online spat intensified as the user replied, "Who the hell are you to tell me to move to pakistan . My great father fought for this country and all my great great grandfathers were son of this soil and not like you who have Mughals genes in their DNA."
The online spat started after the user replied to Shama's post saying, "How can you post this , this propoganda movie showed muslims in bad light . Shame on you (sic)."
The film Dhurandhar has faced allegations of being a "propaganda" film from sections of critics and commentators. Among those who have publicly used the term are YouTuber Dhruv Rathee and film critic Prathyush Parasuraman, who argued that its narrative blends fiction with politically charged themes and blurs the line between fact and storytelling. However, the film has also seen strong defence from several voices in the industry, who maintain that it is a work of fiction and falls within the scope of creative expression rather than political messaging.
