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Alia Bhatt’s Darlings faces criticism, tweeple call for boycott, here’s WHY

Tweeple are blasting and disapproving of the film and calling it out for promoting domestic violence against men.

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Alia Bhatt's Darlings

By Utkarsh Tripathi

Alia Bhatt starrer Darlings will hit the silver screen on August 5. Ahead of its release, the film is receiving major criticism on social media. Twitter on Thursday remained dominated by tweets under #BoycottDarlings and #BoycottAliaBhatt.

Tweeple are blasting and disapproving of the film and calling it out for promoting domestic violence against men.

Have a look at Twitter reactions here:

https://twitter.com/MraFighter/status/1554857438167584768

Darlings’ trailer was dropped on July 25. From its trailer, one could guess how the film’s trajectory goes from light-hearted comedy to a dark comedy which touches upon the subject of domestic abuse.

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Watch the trailer here:

https://www.instagram.com/p/CgbM9Dip2qz/?hl=en

A section of social media users is calling for boycotting Darlings citing the promotion of domestic violence against men. As burdening as these allegations are, it is quite not the reality of the film.

The plot of Darlings is set inside a premise of how the wife, played by Alia Bhatt, of a volatile and alcoholic husband, played by Vijay Varma, tries to reform her husband’s insensitive behaviour, until one day she had enough, as she seeks revenge.

The storyline of the film can be anything but promoting domestic violence against men. At best, it can be critiqued for trivialising the reality of women who go through similar predicaments but don’t have the option to take similar stringent actions.

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Remember Shahid Kapoor’s Kabir Singh?

Shahid Kapoor and Kiara Advani starter Kabir Singh, which did quite a number at the box office, created a massive controversy during the time of its release. The film was accused of encouraging toxic masculinity and sexism in society. Some might also suggest that this portrayal of a woman seeking revenge in Darlings is quite similar to Kabir Singh.

However, the dynamics of both the characters are dissimilar to the point that it doesn’t actually need articulate reasoning for anyone to guess the difference.

Though it is important to comprehend that the actions taken by the lead in Kabir Singh were due to the complexity of the character, which could arguably be a celebrated reflection of hypermasculinity in society. It is quite contrary to the role played by Alia in Darlings.

Alia’s character doesn’t adopt a preceded mindset of every woman, her character only explores the extremes of a woman’s mindset who is responding to domestic abuse which sets the two characters apart as polar opposites in terms of dynamics.

The character played by Shahid Kapoor in Kabir Singh is an oppressor whereas Alia Bhatt’s character Badru is the one who is being oppressed. This is what would have happened to Preeti in Kabir Singh if she had enough of Kabir’s hypermasculinity way of life.

Nepotism hate

The call for a boycott by the so-called cinema lovers can be speculated to be fueled by the political bias against Bollywood that has recently settled into the country. The vilification of Bollywood, which tangibly came into play after the death of Sushant Singh Rajput, began a reservation against star kids who profits off by being a product of nepotism.

Alia Bhatt, the daughter of filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt and Soni Razdan, also faced a lot of criticism for being a star kid. She, however, managed to recede the tag through her incredible performances in films like Gangubai Kathiawad, Gullyboy, Highway, Raazi, and others.

Bhatt troop and their political opinions

Another faction that has reservations against Alia and her family is the ones whose political ideologies do not align with the Bhatts. Alia and her family have had a history of speaking their mind and sharing unpopular opinions on several occasions.

Alia, during the Police Crackdown on the students of Jamia Millia Islamia, posted a question on social media urging her friends from the fraternity to tweet or message Prime Minister Narendra Modi by condemning the actions taken by the police.

Soni Razdan had also once opined how she will believe she would be better off living in Pakistan, which was said in light of the situation in India.

Have a look at the tweet here:

Alia Bhatt and her citizenship

Alia Bhatt and Soni Razdan have a British citizenship. The mother-daughter duo cannot vote during elections in India. Earlier, Alia has expressed about hoping to have a dual citizenship as she would love to vote.

Both Alia and Soni were brutually trolled over their citizenship back then.

The highly-anticipated film Darlings marks Alia Bhatt’s debut as a producer and her second collaboration with Vijay Varma after Gully Boy. Are you rooting for Darlings?

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Entertainment

Border 2 box office collection day 12 crosses Rs 286 crore, eyes Rs 300 crore milestone

Border 2 box office collection reaches Rs 286.75 crore after 12 days, putting the Sunny Deol-led film close to the Rs 300 crore milestone.

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Sunny Deol in Border 2

Sunny Deol’s Border 2 continues its impressive run at the domestic box office, edging closer to the Rs 300 crore mark by the end of its second week. The war drama, which hit theatres on January 23, has shown consistent collections since its release.

On its second Tuesday, the film earned an estimated Rs 5.75 crore, taking its total earnings to Rs 286.75 crore after 12 days.

Border 2 box office performance so far

The film matched its Monday earnings on February 3, adding Rs 5.75 crore to its tally. With this, Border 2 has managed to hold firm on weekdays, a sign of sustained audience interest.

The film delivered a robust opening week, collecting Rs 224.25 crore, supported by the extended Republic Day holiday period.

Second weekend boosts collections

The second weekend provided another lift to the film’s box office numbers. Friday saw collections of Rs 10.75 crore, followed by Rs 17.75 crore on Saturday. Sunday emerged as the strongest day of the weekend, contributing Rs 22.5 crore to the total.

Monday, which coincided with Republic Day, turned out to be the film’s highest single-day performer so far, with earnings touching Rs 59 crore.

With its current pace, Border 2 has already surpassed the opening weekend figures of Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar.

Border 2 review

In a review, film critic Saibal Chatterjee noted that Border 2 succeeds in highlighting the courage of soldiers while also touching upon their emotional vulnerabilities. The film explores themes of separation, loss, fear, and hope, presenting moments of heroism amid personal struggles.

About the film

Directed by Anurag Singh, Border 2 features an ensemble cast including Sunny Deol, Diljit Dosanjh, Varun Dhawan, and Ahan Shetty. Set against the backdrop of the 1971 India-Pakistan war, the film is positioned as a spiritual successor to the 1997 classic Border.

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Why Dhurandhar on Netflix runs shorter than its original theatrical cut

Dhurandhar’s Netflix release sparked confusion over its shorter runtime. The difference is linked to muted dialogue and an updated theatrical cut.

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Dhurandhar

Dhurandhar has finally made its much-awaited debut on Netflix, just days after the Ranveer Singh-starrer completed a blockbuster theatrical run across India. While the film crossed Rs 1,000 crore domestically and went past Rs 1,300 crore worldwide, its OTT release has triggered confusion and criticism over its shorter runtime.

Several viewers took to social media early Friday, claiming that a “censored” version of Dhurandhar was streaming on Netflix. The runtime displayed on the platform is 3 hours and 25 minutes, nearly nine minutes shorter than the film’s originally reported duration of 3 hours and 34 minutes.

What caused the runtime difference

The confusion stems from changes made after the film’s initial theatrical release. According to the revised censor certificate, Dhurandhar now has an approved runtime of 3 hours 28 minutes and 56 seconds. This updated version replaced the earlier cut in cinemas starting January 1.

The revision followed directions to mute two specific words and one dialogue referring to the Baloch community. These changes were implemented without removing scenes, resulting in a marginally shorter runtime.

What viewers noticed on Netflix

Audiences streaming the film on Netflix observed muted portions during a scene involving Sanjay Dutt’s character, SP Chaudhary Aslam. In the original version, the dialogue included a direct reference to a former Baloch police partner. In the revised cut now available on Netflix, those references are muted, while English subtitles offer a generalised translation without naming the community.

Some viewers also pointed out that the film appears to play slightly faster on the platform, contributing to the perception that content had been trimmed.

Is Netflix streaming a censored cut

Industry insiders have clarified that Netflix is carrying the final theatrical version approved by the authorities. As an OTT distributor, the platform uploads films exactly as provided by the producers. The version streaming online is the same revised cut that has been screening in theatres since January.

Importantly, the film’s intense and graphic depiction of violence remains unchanged in the OTT version.

In short, Dhurandhar on Netflix is not a specially edited or censored cut for streaming. It is the updated theatrical version, adjusted for muted dialogue and presented with a slightly faster frame rate.

Following its OTT release, audiences can now look ahead to the sequel, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, scheduled for release on March 19, 2026.

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Border 2 box office collection day 1 crosses Rs 30 crore

Border 2 opens to Rs 30 crore on day one, becoming the biggest opener for Varun Dhawan, Ahan Shetty and Diljit Dosanjh.

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Sunny Deol in Border 2

Border 2 has made an impressive start at the Indian box office, collecting Rs 30 crore on its opening day. The war drama, headlined by Sunny Deol along with Varun Dhawan, Ahan Shetty and Diljit Dosanjh, opened to largely positive audience and critical response.

According to industry tracking data, the film recorded an overall occupancy of 32.1 per cent on day one. Night shows contributed the highest footfall, indicating strong word-of-mouth towards the end of the day.

Strong show count and urban traction

Border 2 was screened in nearly 6,000 shows across the country on its opening day. Major centres reported heavy traction, with over 1,000 shows in Mumbai and more than 1,500 shows across the Delhi-NCR region. Trade sources noted that urban circuits played a key role in pushing the film past the Rs 30 crore mark.

The opening performance places Border 2 ahead of Dhurandhar, which collected Rs 28 crore on its first day despite having a similar nationwide show count. Dhurandhar later saw consistent growth over its opening weekend, a trend that Border 2 is also expected to follow.

Career-best opening for key cast members

Border 2 has emerged as the biggest opening-day film in the careers of Varun Dhawan, Ahan Shetty and Diljit Dosanjh. For Varun Dhawan, the film marks his first box office success since Bhediya in 2023. Ahan Shetty, who made his debut with Tadap in 2021, has registered his first theatrical hit with the war drama.

For Sunny Deol, however, Border 2 does not surpass the opening records of Gadar 2, which remains his highest-grossing film with a worldwide collection of Rs 686 crore.

Dhurandhar sees slowdown after Border 2 release

Meanwhile, Dhurandhar’s box office run has slowed following the release of Border 2. The film reportedly earned under Rs 1 crore for the first time in nearly 50 days, reflecting the impact of the new release.

Directed by Anurag Singh and produced by JP Dutta and Nidhi Dutta, Border 2 also features Sonam Bajwa and Mona Singh in prominent roles.

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