Ram Gopal Varma, the filmmaker who has been vocal in his appreciation of Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge has now complained about one thing about the film, the representation of underworld don, Dawood Ibrahim. Though the director still commends the size and performance of the film, he feels that the depiction of the runaway gangster is not in total compliance with his concept of reality.
The sequel, which showcases nonstop action, directed by Aditya Dhar and starring Ranveer Singh, is doing well on the box office since its release in March. Nevertheless, as the film continues to attract massive publicity, talk about its depiction of real-life characters has begun to pick up steam.
Praise to the movie, however, a disagreement
Shortly after the release of the movie, Ram Gopal Varma publicly praised the film claiming it to be a great advancement in Indian cinema. He even related its effect on him to that of his own cult film Satya indicating that the film had left an indelible mark on him.
But in a recent interview with author Hussain Zaidi in his YouTube channel, Varma clarified that he was not fully convinced about the role played by Dawood Ibrahim in the movie.
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In his view, filmmakers could have used their sources and interpretations, but the character on the screen is not what he thinks is the truth. In the movie, the character who looks like Dawood, known as Bade Sahab, is depicted as a working mastermind based on the other side of the border and leading terror networks that are affiliated to India.
Varma, though, indicated that this version might not be a true reflection of the present reality.
Various approaches to a mysterious character
Elaborating his stand, Varma admitted that news on Dawood Ibrahim is mostly speculative and with few confirmed facts. He pointed out that although he cannot say he is absolutely sure, his knowledge is not the same as it has been portrayed in the movie.
He said that on a personal belief, Dawood might have since long ago retired in regard to active criminal activities. Varma claims that over the years, it has been alleged that the gangster has been inactive in almost twenty years and that he also could be having health problems.
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Meanwhile, he acknowledged that these arguments cannot be substantially proved or disproved. The fact that the whereabouts and activities of Dawood have remained a secret has never helped to create any single, concrete narrative.
This, Varma says, is where imaginative interpretation can often be used to fill the gap, which is what film makers can often be used to when they are handling real life characters.
Real vs fictional storytelling
The debate points to a more general problem in movies the conflict between narrative and historical truth. Movies based on true stories tend to take artistic freedom in order to add more drama, particularly when it comes to characters whose lives are not fully captured within the public sphere.
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Varma indicated that no one has the right to say that he/she has full control over such portrayals. Although viewers might trust what they see on the screen, filmmakers, and critics, in general, know that what they see is a result of interpretation as opposed to an objective truth.
He pointed out that although he disagrees with the version in the film, he cannot dismiss it out of hand as the filmmakers cannot validate it out of hand too.
This is in spite of controversy over box office success
Regardless of the controversy, Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge is on a great streak at the box office. The movie has allegedly earned over ₹1700 crore worldwide thus becoming one of the largest commercial hits in the recent past.
Having a star-studded cast with actors such as Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal and R. Madhavan, the movie has drawn huge crowds in the regions. The franchise itself has since surpassed the 3000 crore mark all over the world becoming a great breakthrough to Indian cinema.
As the movie continues to enjoy commercial success, discussions such as these highlight the way in which audiences and filmmakers remain critical towards content- particularly when it involves real-life people and sensitive pasts.
