Our Bureau
London
A casual morning jog involving Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney has unexpectedly brought an Indian espionage saga into global political conversation.
In a video shared by the Finnish president on his X handle, the two leaders are seen jogging through Hyde Park while discussing the Hindi blockbuster ‘Dhurandhar,’ a moment that has quickly circulated among Indian audiences online.
The clip shows Stubb and the Canadian prime minister running alongside their spouses during Carney’s visit to London.
During the exchange, Carney asks Stubb about a recent surge in his popularity on Instagram in India. The Finnish president explains that the attention followed comments he made about watching ‘Dhurandhar.’
“How was your Insta thing in India?” Carney asks in the video.
Stubb responds that the reaction was “huge” after he revealed he had seen the film. Reflecting on the storyline, he adds that after watching it he realised the subject matter portrayed in the movie was “not a game at all,” referring to its depiction of terrorism and intelligence operations.
The video has since been widely shared online, with many viewers noting the unusual intersection of international politics and Indian cinema.
One X user commented, “Great to see leaders of two thriving democracies talking about the largest democracy in the world..”
A second social media user wrote, “are you guys talking about DHURANDHAR …Count me in”
“Congrats @AdityaDharFilms @yamigautam @jiostudios. The PM of Canada is discussing about Dhurandhar,” another Indian social media user commented.
Stubb had earlier spoken publicly about the film during a visit to Mumbai. He revealed that he watched ‘Dhurandhar’ on his son’s recommendation before travelling to India.
The Finnish president said he found the story compelling and even joked about being “one part of the narrative,” adding that he looked forward to the sequel.
The film stars Ranveer Singh as undercover agent Jaskirat Singh Rangi and blends espionage drama with a storyline centred on counter-terror operations. Its follow-up, ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’, is scheduled for theatrical release on March 19, with special preview screenings held on March 18.
The sequel sees Singh reprise his role, this time deeply embedded in the criminal underworld under the alias Hamza Ali Mazari. The story follows his rise in Karachi’s Lyari area after the death of gangster Rehman Dakait, originally portrayed by Akshaye Khanna in the first film.
The new instalment expands the narrative from personal infiltration to a broader national-security threat. The plot introduces a terror syndicate that Rangi attempts to dismantle from within, with Major Iqbal, played by Arjun Rampal, emerging as a key target. The film also features Sanjay Dutt as law-enforcement officer SP Chaudhary Aslam and R Madhavan as Ajay Sanyal.
