When it comes to patriotism on screen, Meghna Gulzar believes there is more than one way to tell the story. The filmmaker recently spoke about her 2018 spy drama Raazi and Aditya Dhar’s action-heavy Dhurandhar, pointing out that the characters in both films can be equally patriotic even if their stories look completely different.

During her appearance on the Learn By KK Create podcast, Meghna was asked about the difference between the way patriotism is portrayed in Raazi and in films such as Dhurandhar.

For Meghna, the key difference comes down to the story rather than the intensity of patriotism.

She explained that the characters in Raazi are not “any less patriotic” than those in Dhurandhar. According to her, the way their patriotism appears on screen is shaped by the circumstances and actions demanded by their respective stories.

And then came her rather striking observation: “Patriotism and prayers don’t need volume.”

‘Every individual has their own way of expression’

Meghna stressed that patriotism does not have to follow a single formula. Some stories may express it through large-scale action and dramatic moments, while others may explore it through personal sacrifices, difficult choices and moral dilemmas.

That difference is particularly visible in Raazi, where Alia Bhatt’s character Sehmat operates as an undercover Indian spy. The film focuses heavily on her emotional journey, the risks she takes and the moral consequences of her actions rather than relying solely on spectacle.

Meghna also pointed out that there was no fixed limit to how much patriotism she could show through a character. For her, the character’s own boundaries are what matter.

She added that Sehmat’s patriotism had no real limit, but her moral compass did.

Raazi vs Dhurandhar: Two very different spy stories

While both films operate within the world of espionage and patriotism, their storytelling styles are poles apart. Raazi builds its tension around secrecy, relationships and personal conflict, whereas Dhurandhar leans much more heavily into action and the larger-scale world of spy operations.

Meghna’s comments suggest that she does not see these different approaches as a question of one being more patriotic than the other. Instead, she believes filmmakers simply choose different ways to express the same broad emotion.

And perhaps that is the bigger takeaway from her comments: patriotism doesn’t always have to be loud, dramatic or action-packed to make an impact.