Bhubaneswar: Dhurandhar is no longer just a film; it has become a cultural and commercial phenomenon. As it races past the ₹900-crore mark and edges closer to the coveted ₹1,000-crore milestone, the question is no longer whether it is successful, but how decisively it has reshaped the Bollywood landscape in 2025.
Dismissed by sections of critics as a “flop” in its early days, Dhurandhar has mounted one of the most dramatic box-office comebacks in recent memory. In doing so, it has challenged entrenched assumptions about audience taste, critical authority, and even the supposed decline of theatrical cinema. Today, it stands poised to enter the top three highest-grossing Indian films ever—threatening records held by films led by the Khans and Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal.
What makes Dhurandhar exceptional is not merely its earnings but the intensity of its reception. Viewers are not just watching the film; they are returning to it repeatedly. Multiplexes and single screens alike continue to report packed houses, a rarity in an era dominated by OTT platforms. At a time when the industry was lamenting the “death of theatre culture,” Dhurandhar has revived it with brute force.
The film’s polarising nature is central to its dominance. Critics have labelled it everything from a nationalist spectacle to outright propaganda, while supporters hail it as a long-overdue assertion of Indian pride. From India to Pakistan, audiences are reacting passionately—albeit for very different reasons. Few recent films have provoked such sharply divided emotional responses. And therein lies its power: Dhurandhar compels engagement. It refuses to be background noise.
Director Aditya Dhar has tapped into a potent mix—high-octane action, raw political undercurrents, nationalism, and star power—perfectly aligned with the current social and political mood. Add to that towering performances across the cast, with Ranveer Singh arguably delivering the most defining act of his career, and the result is cinema that feels visceral and personal to its audience.
Equally crucial is the film’s afterlife on social media. YouTubers, reviewers, meme-makers, and political commentators have ensured Dhurandhar never leaves public discourse. Every debate, criticism, or boycott call has only amplified its reach. In the digital age, controversy is currency—and Dhurandhar has minted it relentlessly.
As comparisons with Baahubali grow stronger, expectations are already mounting for Dhurandhar 2, slated for release in March 2026. If history is any guide, the sequel could eclipse the original, cementing the franchise as a generational milestone.
Ultimately, Dhurandhar marks a turning point. It proves that audiences still crave big-screen spectacle, that emotional and ideological connection can overpower critical consensus, and that cinema rooted in strong narratives—however contentious—can dominate the cultural imagination.
You may admire it or despise it. But like all truly consequential films, Dhurandhar has ensured one thing: it cannot be ignored.
-OdishaAge
