As a psychiatry resident, after watching the movie Dhurandhar, I couldn’t help but notice the psychological struggles of its main character and highlight how mental illness can develop due to emotional trauma, stress, and lack of support. The protagonist portrays antisocial personality traits, narcissistic traits, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Rather than portraying the character as purely violent or immoral, the film links these traits to long-standing psychological trauma and maladaptive coping.
The protagonist shows several features suggestive of antisocial personality traits. These include repeated violation of social norms, repeated lying, disregard for the safety of self and others, impulsive decision-making, aggression, and lack of remorse after harmful actions. The character often justifies his behaviour as necessary or deserved, reflecting poor empathy and limited concern for consequences. In psychiatry, such traits become a disorder if they affect a person’s social, occupational and interpersonal domains.
Alongside antisocial traits, the character also displays prominent narcissistic personality traits. He has a grandiose sense of self-importance, preoccupied with fantasies of unlimited success and power, associates self with high status people, sense of entitlement, is interpersonally exploitative, lacks empathy and is envious of others. Criticism is poorly tolerated and often leads to intense anger or retaliatory behaviour. There is a strong need to maintain control and dominance, which serves to protect fragile self-esteem. These features are consistent with narcissistic personality traits, where outward grandiosity often masks deep insecurity and emotional vulnerability.
A key underlying factor driving both antisocial and narcissistic behaviours in Dhurandhar is unresolved psychological trauma, consistent with PTSD. The protagonist shows symptoms of recurrent, involuntary and intrusive distressing memories of past traumatic experiences, like his parents’ misfortune, leading to psychological distress with marked physiological reaction in the form of negative emotional states of fear, anger, guilt or shame. He remains constantly alert to perceived threats and reacts aggressively even to minor provocations. In PTSD, such symptoms arise from a persistent sense of danger, which can distort perception and judgment.
The interaction between PTSD and personality traits is clearly depicted in the film. Trauma-related emotional dysregulation and mistrust may worsen antisocial behaviours, while narcissistic defences help the character avoid feelings of helplessness and shame. Without treatment, this combination leads to progressive deterioration in interpersonal relationships and functioning.
In conclusion, Dhurandhar offers a layered portrayal of antisocial and narcissistic personality traits rooted in trauma. It serves as a reminder that behind disruptive behaviour often lies untreated psychological distress. The film highlights the importance of destigmatization, early identification and trauma-focused psychotherapy.
Dr. Manshi Kakrania
Junior Resident
Department of Psychiatry
LLRM Medical College, Meerut
