Exclusive: Dhurandhar actor Danish Pandor reacts to Hrithik Roshan's 'politics' remark, explains 26/11 scene

New Delhi:

Dhurandhar can be safely deemed as one of the most profitable films of the year, surpassing records made by Ranbir Kapoor's Animal in 2023. When the film was initially released, several celebs from Bollywood shared their reviews of Aditya Dhar's film; however, Hrithik Roshan didn't mince his words and said that, although he loved the storytelling of Dhurandhar, he disagreed with the "politics" of it. After Aditya Dhar reacted to it, Danish Pandor, who played Uzair Baloch in Dhurandhar, spoke exclusively to India TV and responded to the War 2 actor's review. 

Danish, who celebrates his birthday on December 22, also shared the crucial 26/11 red screen moment from Dhurandhar. Excerpts from our conversation:

Danish Pandor on Hrithik Roshan's review of Dhurandhar

Hrthik Roshan, in his review of Dhurandhar, wrote on his Instagram story, "I love cinema, I love people who climb into a vortex and let the story take control, spin them shake them until what they want to say is purged out of them onto that screen. DHURANDAR is an example of that. Loved the storytelling. It's cinema. I may disagree with the politics of it, and argue about the responsibilities us filmmakers should bear as citizens of the world. Nevertheless, can't ignore how loved and learnt from this one as a student of cinema. Amazing (sic).”

Danish Pandor spoke to India TV about what he thought of Hrithik's review of Dhurandhar, "This is very subjective," he told us, adding, "There are some things that you would prefer and I wouldn’t, and vice versa. As far as the political aspect goes, these are all research-backed elements. Even if you take into consideration the 26/11 attack, you can’t deny that it happened. The voice notes of the handlers and terrorists were played on screen; it literally gives you goosebumps and, at the same time, disheartens you as a person… what exactly have they done.”

Danish Pandor on Dhurandhar's red screen 26/11 attack scene

Danish also spoke to us about the pivotal red screen moment from Dhurandhar, where real recordings of terrorists, handlers and hostages were played for the audience. The text reflected on a red screen, probably hinting at the bloodshed in the attack. Reflecting on the same, Danish said, "There were so many hostages inside, and when everything was unfolding through the media perspective, as we were watching it then, you couldn’t really realise what these people were going through. But just that voice note that has been portrayed on screen makes you empathise immediately. And what if you were there at that point in time? Empathising is very important.”

Watch India TV's exclusive interview with Danish Pandor here:

Danish Pandor hugged Ranveer Singh after the 26/11 attack scene

Danish Pandor also explained what happened on sets when Ranveer, as an Indian spy in Pakistan, had to hail the ghastly 26/11 attack along with terrorists in Dhurandhar. Speaking about the emotionally charged moment, he revealed that he went to hug Ranveer after the scene was filmed. "I was there, and when I was looking at Ranveer on the monitor, the moment the shot got over. I went to him and gave him a tight hug because of the way he transitioned throughout.” He also said, “There is this thing which is happening in his eyes, which says that we could have saved it. We could have avoided this attack. Just building up like so many emotions… that these things have happened because of me, if I wanted, I could have stopped this. All these emotions were clearly shown in his eyes. He played the character so beautifully. I literally went to him and gave him a tight hug, " he told us.

Danish and Ranveer almost had an equal screen space in Dhurandhar. When asked about the same, Danish shared, "Ranveer is a very secure and very selfless actor. He is very passionate. He is so secure that his only motivation is to lift the scene and make the movie beautiful. You get so motivated and inspired by him. When you see such a hard-working man… As a superstar, you have so many things to cater to, but he concentrates on his craft. He works day in and day out, and that is something we need to learn from him.”

Dhurandhar Part 2 will release on March 19, 2026. 

Also read: Danish Pandor on Uzair Baloch's future in Dhurandhar Part 2: 'Agar maine itni…' | Exclusive