Ram Gopal Varma has once again turned his attention to Dhurandhar, and this time his comments come as Yash-starrer Toxic struggles to cross the Rs 300 crore mark worldwide. The filmmaker has used his latest post on X to explain why he believes Aditya Dhar's spy franchise works, while taking aim at some of the usual ways big-budget films are made.
Varma's post arrives just days after Toxic: A Fairytale for Grownups opened in theatres. Interestingly, Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge had crossed the Rs 300 crore mark within its first five days earlier this year, while Toxic has fallen short of that figure during its five-day extended opening weekend.
The timing has also caught attention because Dhurandhar 2 and Toxic were originally expected to clash at the box office on March 19. Toxic was later postponed due to the Gulf conflict, which also affected its expected business in the Middle East, an important market for Yash.
Ram Gopal Varma believes the biggest takeaway from Dhurandhar is its approach to characters.
“What every filmmaker 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,” wrote Varma on X.
He compared the film with his own 1998 gangster drama Satya and said Dhurandhar takes that sense of realism “to another level”.
“That is the only lesson worth stealing for all filmmakers, which the one most expensive films refuse to learn. Back in the day, even in a mega budget film like Titanic, James Cameron spent the money to make it look as real as possible, whereas we do the exact opposite here,” he wrote.
RGV's Take On Heroes
For Ram Gopal Varma, Dhurandhar's biggest strength is that Ranveer Singh's character is not treated like a hero in every single frame.
“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. The camera does not constantly elevate. It watches,” argued Varma.
He also praised the way the film handles its supporting cast. He singled out characters played by Akshaye Khanna, Rakesh Bedi, Sanjay Dutt, Danish Pandor and Gaurav Gera.
“Rehman Dakait (Akshaye Khanna) does not exist to look iconic in a still. He exists as a man with a specific laugh, a specific fear, a specific way of holding a gun or a stare,” wrote Varma.
He then appeared to take a swipe at films where supporting characters are mainly used around the lead star.
“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. You cannot tell what any of them is when he is not in the shot,” said Varma.
He Also Defended Dhurandhar's Violence
Ram Gopal Varma also feels Dhurandhar's violent scenes work because they have consequences.
“Violence in Dhurandhar has a before and an after. Somebody pays. Somebody changes. Somebody is left standing feeling smaller. In the other films, violence is just a spectacle minus context. Attitude is the plot. Style arrives first and then searches for a reason,” he said.
He further argued that Dhurandhar makes audiences connect with its characters instead of simply remembering their looks or mannerisms.
“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,” wrote Varma.
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
Dhurandhar has now become the highest-grossing Indian franchise worldwide, with the two films together crossing the Rs 3,000 crore mark.
Meanwhile, Toxic, directed by Geetu Mohandas and co-written by Mohandas and Yash, features Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Rukmini Vasanth, Tara Sutaria and Akshay Oberoi. The film was made in Kannada and English and released in dubbed versions across Hindi, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam.
