The portrayal of Lyari, one of Karachi’s most culturally vibrant areas, in the film also sparked backlash. Sociologist Nida Kirmani and several residents slammed its depiction in Dhurandhar as wildly inaccurate.

Mumbai's municipal body, BMC, had called for the blacklisting of Aditya Dhar's B62 Studios for repeatedly violating safety rules on the sets of Dhurandhar. These violations included unauthorised filming on building terraces and the use of lit torches in high-security zones.

Many have labelled the film as propaganda, arguing that the film depends heavily on nationalist messaging and portrays cross-border tensions such that it feels overtly political. 

When the cast of the film was announced, the lead pair of the film received criticism for their age gap. Ranveer Singh, 40, and 20-year-old actress Sara Arjun have a 20-year age gap between them, which sparked significant discussion regarding their on-screen pairing

The family of late Major Mohit Sharma, Ashoka Chakra awardee, alleged that the Aditya Dhar film borrows heavily from his life and covert operations carried out by Sharma, without appropriate credit or authorisation.

Just ahead of the release of part 1, the film faced a major hurdle as it was banned in six Gulf countries, including the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia, due to its geopolitical tone.

According to reports, the makers allegedly received a legal notice from the Sikh community regarding a scene where Ranveer Singh's character, Jaskirat Singh Rangi, is seen smoking. They argued that it hurts religious sentiments since smoking is strictly prohibited in the Sikh faith.

After the release of the first part, activists strongly objected to the film's portrayal of Baloch characters and insurgent groups. A dialogue by Sanjay Dutt's character, which drew comparisons of the community to crocodiles, caused uproar.

The makers had announced paid previews on March 18 ahead of the Dhurandhar 2 release on March 19. However, it turned chaotic as several shows across India were cancelled due to technical glitches and last-minute edits required by the Censor Board.

When Dhurandhar was released on Netflix on January 30, 2026, it faced significant backlash and controversy, as fans complained that the OTT version was heavily censored despite A rating and approximately 10 minutes shorter than the original theatrical cut.

The All India Muslim Jamaat and AIMIM have accused the film of endorsing communal divisions and being "unconstitutional" by targeting specific communities without a judicial basis.