How 3-Hour Dhurandhar Became A Hit When Everyone Is Addicted To 30-Second Reels

In the digital age, where everyone is obsessed with 30-second reels, it took Dhurandhar, a roughly 3‑hour‑30‑minute film, only 40 days to become a record-breaking hit.

On the 40th day, its worldwide earnings stood at Rs 1,296 crore, and that too, with an A certificate and bans across Pakistan and a few Gulf countries. On its first Tuesday, the Aditya Dhar film, released on December 5, 2025, collected Rs 28.60 crore, making it the highest first-Tuesday grosser of 2025.

Enough about the box office, let's talk about the OTT. The Ranveer Singh-starrer secured the number one position on Netflix in India. Surprisingly, it also topped Netflix's weekly Top 10 list in Pakistan and Gulf countries, including Bahrain, Oman, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates.

The million-dollar question: How did it happen? All the credit goes to Aditya Dhar, the star cast of Dhurandhar, and every crew member who worked hard, paid attention to meticulous details, and created a film capable of grabbing the audience's attention in a world where the average human attention span is only 8.25 seconds.

Fun fact: the average attention span of a goldfish is 9 seconds. Imagine!

Let's decode how Dhurandhar became a hit when everyone is addicted to 30-second reels.

Dhurandhar Is Fast-Paced But Not Rushed

Internet users reported that they watched the film in theatres three or four times, and again when it was released on Netflix. If you keenly observe the frames, you will realise that the story keeps evolving every 3-5 minutes, sometimes every 2 minutes.

Aditya Dhar ensured that to captivate the audience, he had to keep them hooked to their seats, constantly anticipating what would happen next. Needless to say, he aced it.

Though the story primarily has two main characters - Hamza Ali Mazari aka Jaskirat Singh, played by Ranveer Singh, and Rehman Dakait, played by Akshaye Khanna - that did not translate into reduced roles for other characters. Whenever the camera captured the supporting cast, they became the main characters, driving the story forward.

Dhurandhar Showed A Man Being Sexually Assaulted

First, Aditya Dhar's film shows the sexual assault of Hamza, who is muscular enough to fight 3-4 people simultaneously and is an undercover spy, by men. Though shown briefly in the first 10 minutes of the movie, it is a short but powerful scene that takes a much-needed jibe at the silence prevailing in South Asian countries against the rape of men.

It was not merely a social commentary but also a political one. While homosexuality is a crime in Pakistan, a man sexually assaulting or raping another man in the name of torture is somehow 'justified'.

Dhurandhar Is A Fictional Story Driven By Non-Fictional Events

Irrespective of what you think of the film, you have to agree that Aditya Dhar did a commendable job weaving some of the darkest moments in Indian history into his fictional narrative. When you watch it, you can't help but wonder: what if it were true?

The 1999 Kandahar hijacking, the 2001 terrorist attack on the Indian Parliament in New Delhi, and the November 2008 terrorist attack in Mumbai are the three timelines around which the story revolves.

When Hamza (aka Jaskirat) realises that the people he handed guns to have attacked multiple places in Mumbai, the regret and shame in his eyes are evident, but he cannot express his emotions - he has to cheer instead. It makes you question what if it were true. That's why the story stays with you for days, weeks, and even months after watching the film.

Emotionally Evoking Dialogues In Dhurandhar

"We have to be right every time, but these bastards have to be right just once," says Ajay Sanyal, played by R Madhavan, when he is being briefed after the terrorist attack on Parliament.

Hamza says, "Ghayal hoon isiliye ghatak hoon," after he realises how he played a role in the Mumbai terror attacks in 2008. He vows to take everyone down, leaving no stone unturned.

The thought-provoking and emotion-stirring dialogues keep playing in your mind. You can't help but feel the raw emotions displayed on screen - anger toward terrorists planning attacks in India, frustration with bureaucrats who fail to react when they should, and bloodlust for the handlers celebrating the bloodbath in our homeland.

This rare emotional connection has resonated with viewers, prompting them to return to cinemas to watch the same film repeatedly.

Gory Bloodbath In Dhurandhar

Fueling the anger toward Pakistan are the gory scenes in the film. One of the most memorable is Major Iqbal, played by Arjun Rampal, torturing an Indian agent he has caught.

In that moment, Hamza - undercover - cannot control his emotions. He wells up and later throws up.

Another unforgettable scene shows Rehman Dakait killing a person in the middle of the road using weights meant for measuring fruits and vegetables. The "other side" is portrayed as callous and cold-blooded.

Red-Screen Recording And Real Media Footage In Dhurandhar

Dhurandhar may be a fictional film, but it incorporates real-life recordings and archival footage. The red-screen recording showcasing a conversation between terrorists and their handler in Pakistan during the Mumbai attack stokes justified anger.

It also features the original Indian media coverage that inadvertently helped the handler guide the terrorists, leading to more casualties.

And the final speech in which Ajay Sanyal says, "Duniya mein jitne bhi terrorist attacks hote hain, unka relation Pakistan se hota hai." This statement is a subtle yet powerful commentary on global concerns about Pakistan sheltering terrorists, including the US discovering that Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was living in Pakistan after the 9/11 terror attack.

In the middle of all this, how can you even take your eyes off the screen?

Dhurandhar's popularity is also attributed to its banger songs, controversies that made headlines before and after the releases, and crew members and actors sharing details about costumes, sets, dialogues, and behind the scenes during interviews and on social media.

Fans are now eagerly waiting for the theatrical release of Dhurandhar: The Revenge on March 19, 2026.

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