Rakesh Bedi, who has been a part of the film industry since the late 1970s and known for iconic shows like ‘Srimaan Srimati’ and movies like ‘Chashme Buddoor’ among many others, has found a fresh wave of appreciation for his role as Jameel Jamali in Aditya Dharâs ‘Dhurandhar’ and now the sequel, ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’. The veteran actor is delighted as his performance continues to win praise from audiences. While the Ranveer Singh led film is largely getting praise, it has also got it share of criticism and many have alleged it to be a propaganda film. In a recent interview, Bedi addressed the ongoing debate around the film being labelled as âpropaganda,â making it clear that he does not subscribe to such classifications. âI donât believe in politics. I think itâs the cinema⌠Everybody has the right to like or dislike a film. But I donât think itâs right to put a film into some kind of a category⌠That itâs pro-establishment or anti-establishment. The verdict is that people are loving it,â he said.
He also compared the film to other projects that have faced similar labels, asserting that Dhurandhar stands apart. âRecently, there was a film on Indira Gandhi and (Prime Minister Narendra) Modi, these films didnât run for even two days. Dhurandharâs writing, screenplay is great. People havenât seen a film of this scale ever,â he added, noting that audiences are truly âcelebrating cinemaâ with the sequel.Speaking about the overwhelming response the film is receiving, Rakesh described the current atmosphere as unprecedented. âThis is a mad frenzy which is going on. Iâve never seen something like this in my career at least. Many people have not seen this kind of a frenzy, madness, and euphoria for a film,â he shared.The actor also reacted to a viral video featuring Alexander Stubb and Mark Carney discussing the film during a morning run. Calling it a huge compliment, he said, âWhat could be a bigger compliment? I was elated to find out that a film that Iâm a part of is being talked about at this level. Aditya used to say one thing constantly while making the film. He would say, âWe are going to raise the barâ. After I saw the film, I said, âYou have not raised the bar, you have broken the barâ, because people are going to see the movie baar-baar (again and again).âReleased on March 19, Dhurandhar: The Revenge features Ranveer Singh in the lead, alongside Sara Arjun, R. Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt, and Arjun Rampal in key roles.
