Dhurandhar 2, the latest Ranveer Singh starrer spy-actioner, continues to perform strongly at the box office despite its share of criticism and allegations of being a ‘propaganda’ film. The film received a wide release across the nation, including dubbed versions of Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada. During a recent media interaction, Mithun Chakraborty praised the film while also criticising West Bengal government for allowing his 2025 film The Bengal Files to face an unofficial ban in the state.
Speaking with IANS, Mithun raised the issue of disparity where The Bengal Files could not find a release in West Bengal, while Dhurandhar 2 found a wide release despite similar allegations. He said, “You didn't let Bengal Files release here in West Bengal. What can a bigger issue than that? Now they are calling Dhurandhar 2 propaganda. You could have stopped it too. Meanwhile, nobody even got to see a reel of our film on social media. You didn’t even let it see light of day. And it’s not even a contemporary story; it’s set in the pre-independence era.”
The veteran actor also praised Dhurandhar 2, adding, “If that film is doing such extra-ordinary business, that means a lot of people across all religions and communities watched it, right? Such success arrives when people have watched it multiple times.”
It is to be noted that while The Bengal Files was officially allowed to have a release in West Bengal, the film didn't get any screenings in the state owing to presence of other films like The Conjuring: Last Rites, Dhumketu, Baaghi 3, and Bohurupi, as claimed by most distributors and exhibitors in the state.
Nearly three weeks after the release, after being questioned by Calcutta High Court, WB government clarified the Court that there was no official or unofficial ban on the film from their end.
Directed by Vivek Agnihotri, The Bengal Files featured Anupam Kher, Pallavi Joshi, and Mithun Chakraborty in leading roles. While the film’s box office business was severely impacted by its non-release in West Bengal, the film struggled to stay afloat in other territories as well.