The Hollywood Reporter India hosted the inaugural edition of The Honours in Mumbai on 18 February 2026, celebrating standout achievements in Indian cinema, including a special box-office recognition for the blockbuster Dhurandhar. However, in what seemed like a slap on Hollywood Reporter’s face, the Dhurandhar team was absent, no member of the film’s team attended the event to receive the honour.
During the ceremony, the organisers announced a special honour for the film, noting that Dhurandhar had grossed over ₹1,200 crore worldwide and had remained in theatres for 76 days – a rare feat in the current theatrical landscape. However, no member of the film’s team was present to receive the recognition.
🚨 HUGE! No one from the team of Dhurandhar attended the The Hollywood Reporter India Awards to receive the film’s honour.
— This followed the negative review given by Anupama Chopra, who later termed the film “Anti-Pakistan”. pic.twitter.com/z9QAY2ZS0h
— Megh Updates 🚨™ (@MeghUpdates) February 24, 2026
The absence came in the backdrop of a controversy involving film critic Anupama Chopra, whose review of Dhurandhar had triggered significant backlash online. In her review, Chopra had described the film as ‘exhausting, relentless and frenzied’, and criticised what she called ‘excessive testosterone, shrill nationalism and an inflammatory anti-Pakistan narrative’.
She had also argued that director Aditya Dhar’s blending of fictional storytelling with references to real terror events, including the Kandahar hijacking, the Parliament attack and the 26/11 attacks, felt ‘dangerous and clunky’.
The review drew sharp reactions on social media, with several users accusing the critic of being out of touch with the conventions of the espionage-action genre. Many questioned her criticism of violence and nationalism in a film centred on covert operations and terror networks.
Within days of the backlash intensifying, Chopra’s original review link was removed from YouTube, fuelling speculation that it had been taken down or restricted. Screenshots of the review continued to circulate widely online.
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