Before Dhurandhar’s ‘Naya Bharat’, Rohit Shetty’s Zameen planted the seed of an India that fights back

Long before the cop universe of Rohit Shetty turned testosterone-driven nationalism into blockbuster entertainment, the idea had already appeared — quietly and imperfectly — in hisdebut film Zameen.Watching the film in 2026 feels less like revisiting a forgotten action thriller and more like discovering the rough first draft of the “Naya Bharat” that later became big with the likes of Dhurandhar.

It was purely a coincidence that I chose to watch Zameen on Rohit Shetty’s 52nd birthday.

The intention was simple: to understand whether the filmmaker who would later build one of Hindi cinema’s most commercially successful cop universes had hinted at that vision in his very first film.

What I discovered was surprising.

Beneath the film’s rough filmmaking lies an imagination of an India that fights back — the same idea that the upcoming film Dhurandhar now appears ready to revisit when its sequel releases on March 19.

Both films draw from the same painful chapters in India’s history — the Indian Airlines Flight 814 hijacking in 1999, the attack on Indian Parliament in 2001 and the Akshardham Temple attack in 2002.

But the two films approach these events very differently.

While Dhurandhar attempted to focus on the bureaucratic helplessness, Zameen imagined something else — the response many Indians, perhaps, wished for.

Zameen is far from perfect.

The early Rohit Shetty aesthetic is visible in its rough edges — clumsy camera work, exaggerated characterisation and even peculiar traits like Ajay Devgn’s chain-smoking colonel who seems to light a cigarette regardless of place or circumstance.

But beyond these flaws lies something interesting.

Through two characters — played by Ajay Devgn and Abhishek Bachchan — the film unintentionally sketches two versions of India.

Abhishek Bachchan’s character represents the India that negotiates and does not act in haste.

Ajay Devgn’s Col Ranvir Singh Ranawat, on the other hand, embodies the India that Shetty seems to endorse — a nation unwilling to remain passive after repeated terrorist attacks.

At one point, frustrated by yet another crisis triggered by Pakistan, Ranawat confronts the Prime Minister and delivers a scathing line about India missing opportunities to act decisively after conflicts in 1948, 1965, 1971 and Kargil.

“Humne ek nahi, char mauke khoye hai sir aur har martaba kamzor rajneeti ko Bhartiya sena ki kamzori samjha jata hai(We have lost four opportunities and every time, India’s weak politics is seen as the weakness of the armed forces),” he says.

The frustration in the dialogue captures the mood of a country that, in the late 1990s and early 2000s, was grappling with repeated acts of terrorism.

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Watching that scene immediately reminded me of a moment in Dhurandhar, where R Madhavan’s character confronts political leadership during negotiations with the hijackers of the Kandahar flight.

His anger echoes the same frustration — a nation pleading for diplomatic patience while its adversaries exploit that restraint.

“Sir mooh todne ke liye mutthi band karna zaruri hai(You have to make a punch to hit someone),” he argues, insisting that retaliation is sometimes the only language an aggressor understands.

The difference, however, lies in the outcome.

Dhurandhar, by tracing the real events of the Kandahar crisis, ultimately reflects the painful truth that India had little choice but to concede to the hijackers’ demands.

But Zameen takes the creative freedom that cinema often allows itself.

In Shetty’s version of events, hesitation ends.

The terrorists are eliminated.

The hostages are rescued.

In other words, Rohit Shetty did what cinema often does best — he imagined the response that he probably wishes for.

Seen today, Zameen feels less like Rohit Shetty’s flawed debut and more like the first draft of the cinematic worldview he would later polish.

Long before Singham roared into theatres, Shetty had already imagined a “Naya Bharat” that refused to absorb blows quietly.

If Dhurandhar now attempts to revisit those same historical events in its sequel on March 19 — this time in a world where India has finally retaliated — then Shetty’s early film almost feels prophetic.

A box office failure in 2003, it quietly planted the seed of both the cop universe and the idea of an India that fights back, that Hindi cinema would later celebrate.

Jyothi Jha is an incisive Copy Editor and multi-platform journalist at The Indian Express, where she specializes in high-stakes entertainment reporting and cinematic analysis.

With over six years of diverse experience across India’s leading media houses, she brings a rigorous, ethics-first approach to digital storytelling and editorial curation.

Experience & Career
Jyothi’s career is characterized by its breadth and depth across the media landscape.

Before joining the editorial team at The Indian Express, she honed her expertise covering the entertainment beat for premier national broadcasters, including NDTV, Republic Media, and TV9.

Her professional journey is not limited to digital text; she has a proven track record as an on-air anchor and has successfully managed production teams within the high-pressure segments of Politics and Daily News.

This 360-degree view of newsroom operations allows her to navigate the complexities of modern journalism with veteran precision.

Expertise & Focus Areas
Guided by the Orwellian principle that "Journalism is printing what someone else does not want you to do," Jyothi focuses on transparent, accountability-driven reporting.

Her core areas of expertise include:
Cinematic Deconstruction: Analyzing the social subtext of mainstream Bollywood and South Indian cinema (e.g., Kantara, Masaan, Dabangg).

Toxic Masculinity & Gender Studies: A vocal critic of regressive tropes in Indian cinema, she often highlights the industry's treatment of women and social progress.

Box Office & Industry Economics: Providing data-backed predictions and analysis of film performance and superstar fee structures.

Exclusive Multimedia Coverage: Conducting deep-dive interviews and long-form features that bridge the gap between archival history and modern pop culture.

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Jyothi Jha has established herself as a trusted voice by prioritizing substance over PR-driven narratives.

Her background in hard news and political production provides her with a unique lens through which she views the entertainment industry—not merely as gossip, but as a reflection of societal values.

Readers rely on her for "Journalism of Courage," knowing her critiques are rooted in a deep respect for the craft and a refusal to settle for superficiality.

Her ability to pivot between daily news and specialized entertainment analysis makes her a versatile and authoritative pillar of The Indian Express newsroom....

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