Dhurandhar released amid much uncertainty about its box-office fate. But it has managed to work big time at the ticket window, with its weekday holds leading to celebration in the industry. Trade experts spoke to Bollywood Hungama to understand what worked in the film's favour.
Trade veteran Taran Adarsh said, “This is one of the best films of 2025 or the best film of 2025, if you ask me. The way it's shot, the characters, everything falls into place. I was supposed to watch it last Wednesday, but the content was not ready. I had to leave for Jaipur for a wedding on Thursday. I returned on Saturday, after which I saw the film at a preview theatre in Mumbai. Once I came out, I told the Jio Studios team that watching Dhurandhar was one of my best experiences.”
He added, “In recent times, I have rarely watched a film more than once. Dhurandhar is that film which I am going to watch again, in a theatre!”
Vishek Chauhan, owner of Roopbani Cinema in Purnia, Bihar, explained, “My only apprehension before release was that there was an oversupply of this genre on OTT platforms and also theatrically. Also, films belonging to the espionage-thriller space tend to be very niche. There’s limited scope to commercialize it and make it larger-than-life. Hence, as expected, the opening was underwhelming. But what has really worked is Aditya Dhar’s conviction and understanding of this space. Earlier, he made Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019), wherein he did a similar kind of in-depth research. The way he showed the Indian army and mounted that film, it turned out to be one of the coolest army films ever done.”
Vishek continued, “With Dhurandhar, he has appealed to the larger audience. He’s taken the espionage thriller genre and made it into a commercial, gangster film. His control over his craft is commendable. He was walking on a thin line; there were high chances that this film would have fallen into a no man’s land and become a dead turkey. But he managed to keep his actors in their respective characters. He also commercialized them without losing their essence. That is the magic. Today, every actor of the film has exploded, be it Akshaye Khanna, Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan and Arjun Rampal. People are seeing them as true-to-life but also enjoying their commercial-ness. This was very difficult. When you are making a realistic film featuring real-life personalities like Ajit Doval, there’s very limited legroom to mess around. Hence, this man gets 20 out of 10 marks for his conviction!”
Taran Adarsh exulted, “The film in entirety worked for me. It’s a brilliant film and doesn’t belong to one actor. Everyone has done a fine job, be it Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun, Danish Pandor, Naveen Kaushik and even Rakesh Bedi. I never could imagine Rakesh ji playing this character. I am happy and shocked at the same time (laughs). Moreover, the music is commendable while the usage of vintage songs was cleverly done. As for Aditya Dhar, he’s a fantabulous storyteller.”
Distributor and exhibitor Raj Bansal stated, “The Indo-Pakistan angle has been a big reason (for its success). It has given a lot of pain to Pakistanis and they are venting in anger. Since Indian films are banned out there, they are watching Dhurandhar on illegal channels. This has made viewers on the Indian side happy and also curious about the film. They are wondering what is about the film that has given heartburn to citizens on the other side of the border?”
He also said, “There was a lot of hatred for Pakistan during Gadar 2 (2023), which contributed to its opening. But now, the hatred has lessened after we played the cricket match. Hence, the opening was good but not great. Then the word of mouth came into effect. The director is quite good when it comes to this kind of cinema.”
Vishek Chauhan agreed, “The nationalism angle has also come into play, especially on social media.”
Girish Johar, producer and eminent film business analyst, exulted, “I think the storytelling has connected. Akshaye Khanna and the other characters have been loved. The setting is also unique as the story is set in Pakistan, which is something new for the audience, for sure.”
Trade analyst Atul Mohan said, “The presentation was one-of-a-kind. The action and dramatic moments have worked and the same goes for performances. We have never seen a film on gang wars in Pakistan and yet, it is tied to India.”
Taran Adarsh summed it up by saying, “In this film, everyone is a Dhurandhar! Every actor is a Dhurandhar. Aditya Dhar is a Dhurandhar. Jyoti Deshpande of Jio Studios is a Dhurandhar. She and her team had the courage to back a film like this, that too with such a budget.”
More Pages: Dhurandhar Box Office Collection , Dhurandhar Movie Review
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