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Is Ram Gopal Varma's Dhurandhar Obsession Getting A Bit 'Toxic'?

RGV's fascination with Dhurandhar perhaps comes from the fact that he sees something familiar in it

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Is Ram Gopal Varma's <i>Dhurandhar</i> Obsession Getting A Bit 'Toxic'?
Ram Gopal Varma (L) Still from Dhurandhar (R)

Some films are praised, some are analysed, and some are simply discussed for months after their release. For Ram Gopal Varma, Dhurandhar seems to have become all three. 

Since the first part of Aditya Dhar's spy franchise released on December 5, 2025, the filmmaker has returned to it repeatedly, calling it a "quantum leap" for Indian cinema.

RGV has spent months explaining why he believes Dhurandhar has changed the rules of mainstream Indian cinema. He has also used the film as a 'benchmark' to question the kind of cinema being made around him.

His First Reaction

RGV's praise for Dhurandhar began on December 19, 2025. He described the film as "not a film" but a "QUANTUM LEAP in INDIAN CINEMA". He credited Aditya Dhar with changing the future of Indian cinema and said the film offered a new kind of vision.

According to RGV, the film's strength was not just its scale but the way it affected the audience. He said Aditya Dhar did not simply direct scenes but "engineers the states of mind" of the characters and viewers.

RGV also praised the director for not spoon-feeding viewers and allowing characters to carry their histories through their actions rather than lengthy explanations.

He was equally impressed by the technical aspects of the film. 

Praise For The Cast

RGV also had a lot to say about the cast of Dhurandhar.

On December 23, he singled out Akshaye Khanna's performance, saying the actor looked as though he was "stepping out of life" rather than a makeup van.

On the same day, he rejected the idea that Dhurandhar worked simply because of its patriotic elements. According to RGV, the film succeeded because Aditya Dhar created an exciting thriller.

For him, the performances were important because the characters were not designed simply to be liked. They were designed to stay in the audience's minds long after the film ended.

Aditya Dhar Becomes His 'Guru'

Aditya Dhar has often spoken about being influenced by RGV. 

After the latter praised Dhurandhar, Aditya Dhar thanked him and recalled how filmmakers such as him took risks at a time when there were no templates or safety nets.

RGV responded by saying that he had taken risks partly because he did not know they were risks. 

But he soon made it clear that he also saw Aditya Dhar as someone he could learn from.

In a lengthy post on December 26, he explained several lessons he had learnt from Dhurandhar. He compared its approach to intense drama with the influence of Francis Ford Coppola on his own films such as Satya, Company and Sarkar.

He admired Aditya Dhar's treatment of heroes, saying the film created flawed and consequence-driven characters instead of relying on traditional hero worship.  He also praised the film for making violence feel painful.

RGV ended the post by saying that he needed to "catch up with what others have become". He then called Aditya Dhar the "new Ayn Rand" of his life.

He Calls Dhurandhar A 'Horror Film'

As the first film continued to make an impact, RGV's praise became even stronger.

On December 25, he argued that Dhurandhar would worry filmmakers who continued to rely on expensive sets, VFX, item songs, and traditional hero worship. He compared the film to a "monstrous dog" that filmmakers would try to ignore but would continue to think about.

He later called Dhurandhar a "HORROR FILM" for filmmakers who could not match its "BRILLIANCE, INTELLIGENCE, INTEGRITY and CRAFT".

By December 29, he was already talking about the sequel. He predicted that if the first film had "SCARED" filmmakers, Dhurandhar 2 would "TERRIFY" them.

His Reaction To Dhurandhar 2

RGV's excitement reached another level when Dhurandhar 2 approached its release.

In January 2026, he predicted that the sequel would become the biggest multi-starrer ever because the characters from the first film had become huge in the audience's minds.

When the teaser for Dhurandhar: The Revenge was released, he said it was not revenge but Aditya Dhar's "RAMPAGE".

In February, he described the sequel as an "ASTEROID" that could end the "DINOSAUR ERA" of Indian filmmaking. He argued that films relying on mass moments, VFX, scale, and gravity-defying stunts could struggle once audiences experienced the more realistic style of Dhurandhar 2.

After the trailer released on March 7, he called it "STRATOSPHERIC LEVEL".

After The Sequel Released

Dhurandhar 2 released on March 19, 2026, and RGV immediately began posting about its impact.

Before its release, he compared the film's potential impact to "SHOLAY x 100" and called it the "BIRTH of a NEW CINEMATIC ORDER".

After watching it, he particularly praised Ranveer Singh's character for being flawed, unpredictable and capable of feeling pain.

RGV believed the film had moved away from the traditional hero who never bleeds or suffers. Instead, its heroism comes from the character's actions.

On March 21, he called Dhurandhar 2 a "RESET BUTTON for INDIAN CINEMA" and urged filmmakers to use it as a benchmark for their future projects.

He went even further on March 23, telling filmmakers to throw their old scripts into the "Dhurandhar fire" and return to the drawing board.

He also revealed that his upcoming film Syndicate would be an ode to his "new guru" Aditya Dhar.

RGV Studies The Filmmaking

By March 29, RGV was analysing Dhurandhar 2 almost like a film student.

He praised the film's action, sound design, practical effects, camerawork and chapter-based structure. He felt the violence worked because it was connected to the characters and the story rather than being used only for spectacle.

He also admired how the film handled its long runtime. According to RGV, its different chapters helped keep the story moving while allowing information to unfold without predictable flashbacks.

He praised Aditya Dhar's visual style too, pointing to the use of handheld camerawork, close-ups, low angles and shallow depth of field. He also highlighted the intensity in Ranveer Singh's eyes.

His One Criticism

RGV's praise did come with one reservation.

In April, while speaking to writer Hussain Zaidi on a YouTube podcast, he said he disagreed with the portrayal of Dawood Ibrahim in Dhurandhar 2. The gangster is referred to as 'Bade Sahab' in the film and is portrayed as a key figure involved in terror operations from Pakistan.

RGV said the portrayal did not match his understanding of Dawood's activities. However, he also admitted that he could not claim absolute authority on the subject.

RGV added that, based on what he has heard over the years, Dawood has been largely inactive. "He is inactive by choice, because he stopped doing anything. I believe he retired from criminal activities 20 years ago," he said.

At the same time, he acknowledged the ambiguity surrounding such figures, noting that no one can definitively confirm or deny the truth.

"Nobody can be an expert, nobody can know this is the truth. We all think Dhurandhar has shown something... I can't disprove it, and the director can't prove it as well," he concluded.

Then Came Toxic

The fascination did not end with the release of Dhurandhar 2.

When Toxic, starring Yash, released on August 26 to mostly negative reviews, RGV posted, "Now watching #Dhurandhar again."

On August 27, he wrote, "Watching #Dhurandhar once again."

On August 29, he posted, "Watching #Dhurandhar again and again."

RGV did not mention Toxic directly, but many interpreted the posts as a subtle dig at the film.

Then, on August 31, he explained what he believes is the biggest lesson of Dhurandhar.

The Lesson He Wants Filmmakers To Learn

According to RGV, the real strength of Dhurandhar is its "living, breathing characters".

He compared the film to his own Satya, where characters such as Bhiku Mhatre, Kallu Mama and Vakil Mule felt like real people. He believes Dhurandhar takes that idea even further.

RGV praised the fact that its hero does not always have to dominate the screen. He can wait tables, listen instead of speaking, make mistakes and become smaller in front of other characters.

He also pointed to Rehman Dakait and the supporting characters, saying they feel as though they have their own lives and identities instead of existing only to make the hero look bigger.

RGV contrasted this with films where the hero is defined by hair, costumes, six-packs, slow-motion shots and catchphrases. 

In Dhurandhar, he argued, the characters themselves keep the audience invested.

He also praised the film's treatment of violence, saying it has a "before and an after". Characters pay a price, change or are affected by what happens to them.

Why Is RGV So Fascinated?

RGV's fascination with Dhurandhar perhaps comes from the fact that he sees something familiar in it.

Through films such as Shiva, Satya, Company and Sarkar, RGV himself challenged many conventions of mainstream Hindi cinema. Now, he believes Aditya Dhar is challenging another set of conventions built around spectacle, star worship and formulaic storytelling.

That explains why his reaction to Dhurandhar has gone far beyond a few complimentary posts.

ALSO READ: Dhurandhar Singer Afsana Khan Gets Trolled For Taking Part In Shivling Rudrabhishek Ritual

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