Taiwan envoy names Dhurandhar top film; sequel at ₹1790 cr

Bollywood’s Dhurandhar franchise just picked up an unusual admirer: Taiwan’s top representative in India. At the Taiwan Film Festival in New Delhi, Mumin Chen — representative of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Centre in India — named the Aditya Dhar-directed thriller the most impressive Indian film he watched last year.

Chen told ANI that his academic background shapes his viewing. “Because I am also a political science professor and right now working as an ambassador. So I watch a lot of political movies in India. So last year, the most impressive one I saw was Dhurandhar,” he said.

What makes Dhurandhar his pick

The choice fits Chen’s interest in politics on screen. Dhurandhar stars Ranveer Singh as Jaskirat Singh Rangi, also known as Hamza Ali Mazari — an Indian spy sent to Lyari in Pakistan to bring down a terror unit. He infiltrates a Baloch gang, marries the daughter of a Lyari politician, and works from inside local society.

The first film opened on December 5, 2025, and Dhurandhar 2 followed on March 19 this year. Along with Singh, the cast includes Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, R Madhavan, Sara Arjun, Rakesh Bedi, Gaurav Gera and Danish Pandor. The franchise has been a box-office force: the first film collected ₹1,307 crore worldwide and the sequel ₹1,790 crore.

Praise for Aamir and Shah Rukh

Chen also had warm words for Aamir Khan, calling him “very impressive” as both an actor and a producer. He said he has followed Khan’s work since his early days and is drawn to the films Khan produces about Indian society and serious social issues.

“And of course, other bigger movie icons like Shah Rukh Khan — I also love them,” he added.

The comments land at a festival that is doing its own cultural work. The Taiwan Film Festival in New Delhi is showcasing documentaries and dramas that aim to introduce Indian audiences to Taiwan’s culture, technology and sporting achievements.

• Dhurandhar was the envoy’s most impressive Indian film of last year.
• Aamir Khan was praised as an actor and producer, especially for socially engaged projects.
• Shah Rukh Khan received a warm mention among the bigger icons Chen loves.

Why it matters for Bollywood fans

It is easy to reduce a film’s standing to opening weekends and lifetime totals. But when a foreign envoy who studies political systems picks a Bollywood espionage thriller as his favourite, it shows how Indian films can travel as arguments about the world — not just as entertainment. Chen’s political-science lens turns Dhurandhar‘s Lyari setting, its infiltration plot and its marriage storyline into a window on regional tensions.

For Hindi film fans, the bigger signal is that serious political cinema remains one of Bollywood’s global calling cards. With the sequel now sitting at ₹1,790 crore worldwide and a diplomat’s endorsement attached, Dhurandhar is doing exactly that.

Source: The Times of India