Ram Gopal Varma on Dhurandhar 2: ‘If it creates Rs 1,500–2,000 crore numbers, south films will go for a toss’

Ram Gopal Varma on Dhurandhar 2: ‘If it creates Rs 1,500–2,000 crore numbers, south films will go for a toss’

• Dhurandhar 2 releases March 19, starring Ranveer Singh.
• RGV says box office success could shift Indian cinema trends.
• Sequel's emotional appeal and realistic action praised by Varma.

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Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma shared his views on the impact of the action sequel Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge which is all set to release on March 19, suggesting that the film could also show up the power in Indian cinema if it performs extraordinary on box office numbers.

According to Ram Gopal Varma, the Ranveer Singh-led spy thriller might challenge the current dominance of South Indian blockbusters if it manages to cross the Rs 1,500–2,000 crore mark worldwide.

He told Variety India, that such massive earnings could alter the industry’s current trends. “If Dhurandhar 2 creates numbers like 1,500–2,000 crores, then all the south films will go for a toss,” Varma said. He also remarked that many action films from the southern industries still rely on what he described as an “old-school” style of storytelling and spectacle.

The sequel releases on March 19 following the remarkable success of Dhurandhar in 2025, which reportedly collected around Rs 1,300 crore worldwide following its release in December last year. The performance of the original film at the box office has created significant anticipation for the second installment.

RGV also believes the sequel’s biggest strength also lies in the emotional attraction that audiences already have in its characters and storyline of the film. Directed by Aditya Dhar, the spy thriller follows Ranveer Singh’s character Hamza, also known as Jaskirat, an Indian intelligence operative working deep inside Pakistan.

“The audience has invested in the characters and the story so much. I think they will just follow the trajectory from part one,” Varma told Variety India, suggesting that the built-in audience loyalty could help the sequel outperform its predecessor.

Another factor he pointed out was that the way the two movies have been shot.

RGV said since both the parts were filmed simultaneously it allowed the narrative to flow as if it was one continuous story divided into two installments.

He compared this storytelling approach to the format used in the Baahubali franchise, where the story was told through two interconnected films.

Ram Gopal Varma also praised the film’s use of action choreography, highlighting its focus on realism rather than over the top stunts which are often seen in commercial cinema.

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“You can't have people flying in the air and kicking in the air. It’s got to be real,” he said, adding that the franchise pushes Bollywood toward more grounded action sequences.

The recently released trailer has also impressed Varma, who described the film’s scale as “stratospheric” while praising director Aditya Dhar’s vision.

Originally, Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge was expected to clash with Yash’s Toxic: The Fairytale for Grown-Ups at the box office. However, that battle was avoided after Toxic moved its release to June. Despite that shift, the film will still face competition from Pawan Kalyan’s Ustaad Bhagat Singh, which is scheduled to release on the same date.

Apart from Ranveer Singh, the film features a large ensemble cast including R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, Rakesh Bedi and Sara Arjun.