Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has praised Dhurandhar The Revenge for its realistic portrayal of characters while appearing to take an indirect dig at films that focus heavily on hero elevation, style and spectacle. Although Varma did not name any film in his lengthy post on X, his comments come amid ongoing comparisons between Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar The Revenge and Yash’s Toxic: A Fairy Tale For Grown Ups.
The comparison between the two films began after both were initially scheduled to release on the same date in March. While Toxic was subsequently postponed and eventually released last week, discussions comparing the two films have continued.
Ram Gopal Varma praises Dhurandhar’s characters
Sharing his thoughts on Dhurandhar The Revenge, Varma highlighted what he believes makes the film connect with audiences. Drawing a comparison with his own 1998 crime drama Satya, he wrote, “What every film maker should understand from #dhurandhar is that it is full of living, breathing characters who seem as real as you and me sitting and watching in the theatre, hence making it highly relatable.”
He added, “Satya is about gangsters, but be it Bhiku Matre, Kallu Mama or Vakil Mule, they all look as real as anyone real. Dhurandhar took this to another level.”
Varma went on to describe realism as the key takeaway for filmmakers, particularly when working on big-budget projects. “That is the only lesson worth stealing for all film makers which the one most expensive films refuse to learn,” he wrote, before referring to James Cameron’s Titanic as an example of a large-scale production that invested in making its world appear believable.
“Dhurandhar does not treat its hero as a walking poster”
The filmmaker also praised the way Dhurandhar handles its central character, arguing that the protagonist does not always have to dominate every scene.
“Dhurandhar does not treat its hero as a walking poster who must be worshipped at all costs. He can be non existent in the room. He can wait tables, listen instead of speaking, miscalculate, get dirty, get smaller in front of more smaller characters,” Varma wrote.
He further praised the film for allowing its supporting characters to exist independently of the protagonist. “The politician, the cop, the cousin, the juice shop friend none of them feel hired to decorate the star. They feel like people who would still be there whether the hero was there or not,” he said.
According to Varma, this approach makes the audience more invested in the world rather than simply waiting for the next hero-elevation moment.
What every film maker should understand from #dhurandhar is that it is full of living, breathing characters who seem as real as you and me sitting and watching in the theatre, hence making it highly relatable. Satya is about gangsters, but be it Bhiku Matre, Kallu Mama or Vakil…
— Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) August 31, 2026
“The other films swagger”
Without naming the film or films he was referring to, Varma then contrasted Dhurandhar with what he described as a different style of filmmaking.
“The other films swagger. Have fog and slow motion that lasts longer than the characters inner lives. The women are not people.. they are functions arranged around the same gravitational centre so that the centre never has to become a living real person,” he wrote.
He also criticised what he sees as the overuse of visual style and artificial intensity, saying, “In the other films, violence is just a spectacle minus context. Attitude is the plot. Style arrives first and th n searches for a reason.”
Varma further argued that some films prioritise the visual presentation of their stars over character development. “The camera does not observe, it advertises. Editing does not cut time, it manufactures fake intensity that was never in the writing,” he stated.
“You do not leave knowing a single thing about him as a human being”
Varma concluded by returning to the importance of character-driven storytelling. He compared the characters in Satya and Dhurandhar with the unnamed films he was criticising.
“Satya’s gangsters could have existed on a real Mumbai street. Dhurandhar’s Lyari men feel like they have already lived for many years before the hero came there,” he wrote.
He then added, “The other films heroes feel assembled in a look test. You leave knowing the hero’s hair, the hero’s walk, the hero’s catchphrase. You do not leave knowing a single thing about him as a human being.”
Varma ended his post by reiterating what he considers the difference between immersive filmmaking and spectacle-driven cinema: “Dhurandhars director trusts the audience enough to put living people on screen and let them feel as much as the protagonist . The hero feels as much pain as the villain . One is cinema that cuts into flesh. The others are cinema that pose for the camera.”
Also Read: Dhuroxic Judgement Day: Ram Gopal Varma frames Dhurandhar 2 vs Toxic as ultimate cinema clash
More Pages: Dhurandhar The Revenge Box Office Collection , Dhurandhar The Revenge Movie Review
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