Haq director Suparn Varma defends Ranveer Singh’s film, says ‘violence is beautiful if you do…’
Amid mixed reactions online, director Suparn S Varma has reacted to the Dhurandhar criticism. Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2025 in Goa, Varma termed the reactions as “double standards” among the audience.
Ranveer Singh’s upcoming film “Dhurandhar” is creating buzz even before its release and its action-packed trailer is getting thumbs up from the audience. However, some social media users criticize the film’s excessive and bloody violence. Lauding the success of his last film “HAQ”, director Suparn S Varma responded to the criticism and called the film a “double standard” among the audience
Suparn S Varma’s reaction to Dhurandhar trailer
Speaking to ANI on the sidelines of the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2025 in Goa, Varma termed audience reactions as “double standards” when it comes to violent films. He noted that “everyone loves violence” when violence is displayed in other countries’ films, but similar recognition is not given to Indian cinema, even when the genre demands it. Varma said: “When a Marco comes out, everyone loves violence. We see The Raid 1, The Raid 2, I’m talking about Gareth Evans’ Indonesian films, Gangs of London, Korean cinema, Japanese cinema or Hollywood cinema. There is violence; it has been around for ages, and violence is beautiful if you do it cinematically.”
“So what’s wrong with that if the story calls for it? If you’re going to show a character torturing someone, then it’s my job as a filmmaker to show innovative methods of torture. That’s what this villain does in the first place. That’s the nature of the genre I do,” he added.
He added that the industry needs audiences who love cinema “around the world, in different languages” and insisted that filmmakers should not be judged “through a different lens for different films.” “We need to start celebrating Hindi films for what they are and supporting our filmmakers. I think this is very, very important. We can’t have a different lens for different films. This needs to come from a passion for cinema and interlingual cinema around the world.”
About Dhurandhar
‘Dhurandhar’ is directed, written and produced by Aditya Dhar. Besides Ranveer Singh in the lead role, the film stars Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan and Akshaye Khanna. The movie is scheduled to be released on December 5. Meanwhile, Suparn S. Varma’s latest film ‘HAQ’, starring Yami Gautam and Emraan Hashmi, is receiving widespread praise. The courtroom drama, inspired by Shah Bano Begum’s real legal battle, was also screened at the prestigious 56th International Film Festival of India held in Goa on Friday, November 22.
(With inputs from ANI)
