Uri director Aditya Dhar on film being considered 'propaganda': Can't do anything about it

One of the biggest success stories in recent times, Uri: The Surgical Strike was not just a film, but turned out to be a phenomenon. Not only did the movie show magical turnaround to be become of the highest-grossers of this year, the war drama also went on to bag multiple National Awards. However, the Vicky Kaushal-starrer was not too far off from controversies. One ‘accusation’ on it, even before it released, was about it being a ‘propaganda’ film for the government. The team time and again rejected this theory and director Aditya Dhar once again did so. The debutant said he could not do much about a section finding it a ‘propaganda’ film, since he says that he stuck to his guts in portraying an incident he believed happened in real. Dhar stated that the entire operation showcased people coming together for a cause of retaliation and that the contribution of the government could not be negated. 

READ: PM Modi Remembers 28 September 2016 - Salutes Army's Surgical Strike

Speaking to reporters at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, Aditya Dhar said, "I wanted to show how everyone got together, including the government and its departments for the single cause. They wanted to make a point, we want to. We will not keep quiet this time. We want to give a reply to whatever has been happening to our soldiers."

"If some section of the society feels it's propaganda, I can't do anything about it." "I stuck to it. If I wouldn't have said this story, somebody else would definitely have. It's impossible to negate the contribution of the government," the director added. 

READ: Madhya Pradesh: Unique Durga Puja Pandal Depicts Surgical Strikes

Uri: The Surgical Strike traced the story of Indian Army’s attack at suspected terrorists along the Line of Control in September 2016. It was in retaliation to the attack by terrorists in Jammu and Kashmir’s Uri.  Dhar said he tried to present the ‘reality’ without making it look like a documentary. 

"I am telling you the reality, what happened, in real. As a filmmaker I need to be true to my craft, more than I need to be true to certain sections of society. I stuck to my guts. This was the story that actually had happened," he said. "This is how it was planned. It was the closest I could get without making it into a documentary," Dhar added. 

READ: Vicky Kaushal's 'Uri: The Surgical Strike' Inspires Fan To Join Indian Navy; Actor Says "all Efforts Worth It!" Read Here

Uri: The Surgical Strike

Uri: The Surgical Strike held the record of the highest-grossing film of this year for almost six months, with collections close to Rs 250 crore in India. However, first Kabir Singh, then War, surpassed its collections. Nevertheless, Aditya Dhar won the Best Director National Award. The movie also fetched National Award for Best Actor for Vicky Kaushal (shared with Ayushmann Khurrana for AndhaDhun) apart from Best Audiography and Best Backgroud Score. 

READ: National Awards 2019: Netizens Ask How Vicky Kaushal's 2019 Film 'Uri: The Surgical Strike' Was Eligible, Here's The Answer