In a recent conversation on Hindustan Times’ show Point Blank, Executive Editor Shishir Gupta sat down with Senior Anchor Aayesha Varma to unpack why a new terrorism thriller ‘Dhurandhar’ centred on 26/11 has struck such a powerful chord with Indian audiences – and how much of it is rooted in reality. What emerged was less a film review and more a hard‑hitting tour through four decades of Pakistan-sponsored terrorism, India’s political responses, and the personalities now driving New Delhi’s national security doctrine.. HT decodes Dhurandhar movie success. Why this film has ‘clicked’. Gupta’s starting point is blunt: the film works because it mirrors the angst of a majority that has lived through repeated waves of terror. He describes the movie as a “cinematic interpretation” of real events over the past 25 years – facts woven with “a bit of fantasy” to create a gripping narrative – but insists the underlying incidents are real.. According to him, more than 2,000 to 3,000 innocent Indians have been killed in terror attacks in the hinterland alone in this period, with “thousands” more in Kashmir. The Hindu majority, he argues, has been “hit very hard by terrorism sponsored by Pakistan and its proxies within India,” and that lived experience is what makes audiences instinctively empathise with the director’s message. The film, in his telling, is not changing minds so much as giving cinematic expression to a sentiment already widely held.. From Afghanistan to Khalistan to Kashmir. To explain the film’s portrayal of Pakistan’s ISI, underworld and politicians as the main villains, Gupta goes back to 1979 and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. At that point, he says, Pakistan – backed by the US and UK – “played a double card”: fronting the anti-Soviet jihad while simultaneously using the jihadi infrastructure to escalate terrorism against India.. He sketches a continuum:. First, Pakistan-backed Khalistan terrorism through the 1980s and early 1990s, funded by drug money and arms smuggling.. Then, from 1989 onwards, Kashmir-focused militancy, using local proxies while Islamabad described Kashmir as Pakistan’s “jugular vein” – a characterisation Gupta calls “totally incorrect.”. After 9/11, a shift to “homegrown” and Islamic terror networks like the Indian Mujahideen, again leveraging the underworld and building cells in Uttar Pradesh, Mumbai, Karnataka and Kerala.. He underlines Western complicity, arguing that the radicalisation pipeline – Wahhabi and Salafi ideology spread to fight the Soviets – was encouraged by major powers and then “couldn’t be controlled.”. 26/11: Intelligence, Failure and Politics. The film is centred on the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, and Varma presses Gupta on whether the state “failed the country” – an issue that has animated public debate since 2008. Gupta’s answer is unequivocal: there was intelligence, and it was specific.. He says US agencies tip 

 Rain lashed parts of the National Capital Region on Monday, even as the India Meterological Department issued an orange alert for the Delhi and its surrounding areas.. Moderate dust-storm, and wind speed of 50-70 kmph is likely. (HT Photo/ Sunil Ghosh). The weather department, in its nowcast warning, said light rain, along with thunderstorm and lightning could be expected in Delhi-NCR. Moderate dust-storm, and wind speed of 50-70 kmph is likely, according to IMD. The orange alert will remain in place till 6 pm.. The IMD had, earlier today, issued yellow alerts across parts of India, including Delhi-NCR, warning of light rain, thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds on Monday. Further, there are chances of scattered light rain on Tuesday as well.. Experts said that on Sunday, rains were recorded along the Himalayan mountains and parts of northern Punjab, it eluded most of Haryana, Rajasthan, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. “We saw gusty winds in Rajasthan too, but in Delhi, it remained mostly clear, leading to the maximum rising quickly,” Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet, said. Despite a yellow alert in Delhi, the Capital remained sunny, with mercury rapidly rising through the day.. Rain caused by western disturbance. The rain on Monday took place due to a fresh western disturbance influencing northwest India on Sunday. Another western disturbance is also likely on April 2, with chances of very light rain in Delhi on April 3 and 4.. Palawat said there are chances of rain in Delhi on Monday during the day, before this western disturbance starts to weaken again. He added that a fairly cool start to April was on the cards, saying, “We will then get another western disturbance around April 2 and 3, followed by another between April 6 and 9, so the temperature is unlikely to rise too rapidly.”. Meanwhile, amateur weatherman Navdeep Dahiya said frequent western disturbances are likely to continue next month, with heatwaves to be at bay till the end of April. 

 Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK President M K Stalin on Monday filed his nomination from Kolathur Assembly constituency in Chennai for the April 13 election.. The DMK has announced candidates for 164 constituencies. (PTI File Photo). After filing his papers, Stalin expressed full confidence that people would hand him a spectacular victory for the 4th time in a row in the Kolathur segment.. Stalin had successfully contested polls from Kolathur constituency in 2011, 2016 and 2021 Assembly elections.. Soon after filing his papers, Stalin briefly held a road show and waved to the people and sought support. The DMK chief also released a book on his achievements for the Kolathur constituency.. Accompanied by senior party leaders, including HR & CE Minister P K Sekar Babu, the DMK president arrived at the designated election office here and submitted his papers on the first day of filing of nominations for the April 23 Assembly election to the state.. Also read: MGR to Vijay: Tamil Nadu’s changing equation with actor-politicians. The DMK has announced candidates for 164 constituencies. On Sunday, Stalin unveiled his party poll manifesto outlining the path for development and the goals.. While the opposition AIADMK has nominated Chennai Corporation councillor P Santhanakrishnan to contest against the Chief Minister, actor-politician Vijay-led TVK has fielded V S Babu to take on Stalin in a triangular contest.. Stalin has been nurturing the constituency, transforming it into a model one in the state. Infrastructure development, welfare initiatives, and improving school infrastructure and amenities for public were among his major focus areas.. Also read: TVK’s Vijay to contest Tamil Nadu elections from 2 seats, Perambur and Trichy East. The ₹4.75 crore ‘Mudhalvar Padaipaggam’, which was launched in Kolathur, serves as a flagship pioneering initiative functioning as a first-of-its-kind government-run co-working and learning hub for entrepreneurs, students and competitive exam aspirants.. Besides the modernised library-cum-co-working spaces at Periyar Nagar and Jawahar Nagar for ₹4.75 crore, a modern market complex on Paper Mills Road for ₹19.30 crore was inaugurated recently featuring 74 commercial shops, lifts, and parking to support small traders in the constituency.. IoT based monitoring and odor control system for sewage pumping stations in Kolathur, apart, women’s gymnasium in Jawahar Nagar, and 840 housing tenements at Gowthamapuram are among his numerous achievements. 

 The Biju Janata Dal (BJD) on Monday walked out of the Rajya Sabha over remarks made by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) lawmaker Nishikant Dubey about the party’s founder and former Odisha chief minister Biju Patnaik.. Biju Janata Dal MP Sasmit Patra speaks in the Rajya Sabha during the second part of the Budget session of Parliament. (Sansad TV). As soon as the house gathered, BJD’s Sasmit Patra said, “We want to place on record our serious protest against the disparaging, false and concocted statements by Nishikant Dubey against Biju Patnaik”.. “This is the level that the ruling party has fallen to… this is utterly shameful,” he said, announcing that the party was walking out.. On Sunday, Patra resigned from the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications & IT in which is headed by Dubey, in protest against the disparaging remarks against Patnaik.. Also Read:Biju Naveen Foundation: Patnaik clarifies timing amid BJP attack over intent. Although the BJD was not a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), as a neutral party, it supported the government in key legislative issues.. Meanwhile, Dubey said he did not make any allegations against Patnaik.. “Biju Patnaik ji was a tall freedom fighter, and the BJP showed full respect to him… When Congress did injustice with Biju Babu, Jan Sangh and BJP stood by him… I repeat that I am releasing a series on the acts of Nehru-Gandhi family. Tell me, which allegation did I level at Biju Babu in my tweet?… If anyone is hurt by what I have written in my tweets, then I can only try to make them understand,” he told news agency ANI. 

 Dehradun: A retired brigadier was allegedly shot dead after being hit by a stray bullet during a firing incident triggered by an overtaking dispute between two car occupants on Mussoorie Road on Monday morning, police said.. Police said the Fortuner lost control after the firing and crashed into a tree near a government primary school in Johri village. (HT Photo). According to officials, the incident occurred around 6.50 am near Malsi, when the occupants of a Delhi-registered Toyota Fortuner and a Mahindra Scorpio N got into an argument over not yielding the right of way. The dispute escalated, following which the Scorpio occupants allegedly chased the Fortuner and opened fire at its tyres in an attempt to stop the vehicle.. Superintendent of Police (City) Pramod Kumar said the deceased, identified as K Joshi (70), a resident of Rajpur, was out on his morning stroll when the incident happened.. “During the firing, the retired brigadier, who was out on a morning walk along the road, was accidentally hit by a bullet. He was rushed to a hospital but succumbed to his injuries during treatment,” he said.. Police said the Fortuner lost control after the firing and crashed into a tree near a government primary school in Johri village. Following the crash, the Scorpio occupants allegedly assaulted those inside the Fortuner and damaged the vehicle. Two persons travelling in the Fortuner sustained injuries and were taken to a hospital.. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dehradun and other officials rushed to the spot and later visited the hospital to gather details.. “The accused fled the scene after the incident. A district-wide intensive checking is underway to trace them. CCTV footage from nearby routes is also being scanned,” Kumar said.