‘Everyone thought Dhurandhar would flop’:Imtiaz Ali says, ‘Now every filmmaker wants to make films like it’

Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali has praised the Ranveer Singh-starrer Dhuran-dhar franchise. Speaking at the Hindustan Times Summit, Imtiaz said that initially everyone had thought the film would be a flop, but it changed the industry’s old way of thinking. Both parts of the spy-thriller franchise, directed by Aditya Dhar, have achieved major success at the box office. At the event, Imtiaz also shared his views on the current phase of Hindi cinema and the changing preferences of audiences. ‘Even three-hour-long films are doing well at the box office’ Imtiaz Ali also spoke about the changing environment in Bollywood. He said the biggest question facing filmmakers is what audiences will like. Imtiaz said, “The industry is going through an interesting phase. People say that whether you cast a big star or make a film without a star, nothing seems to be working. It is also said that audiences’ attention spans have shortened and that long films do not work. But ‘Dhurandhar’ is a three-hour-long film and it has performed exceptionally well.” Studios doubted that ‘Dhurandhar’ would succeed Imtiaz Ali said that when the idea for ‘Dhurandhar’ was developed and the makers were taking it to different studios, there were doubts about it. He said, “When they were going from studio to studio with this idea, people thought it was the most impractical film, with the lowest chances of succeeding. But it broke all the rules, and now everyone wants to make a film like it. The language may change, but the film industry is currently going through a period of introspection.” Both films earned more than ₹3,100 crore According to box office figures, the first instalment of ‘Dhurandhar’, released in 2025, received a good response from audiences. The film had a net collection of ₹840.20 crore in India and a worldwide gross collection of ₹1,307.35 crore. Despite receiving a mixed response, the sequel ‘Dhurandhar 2’ went on to become a major success. The second instalment collected ₹1,149.30 crore net in the country and recorded a worldwide gross collection of ₹1,813.39 crore. ‘Dhurandhar’ is the story of an Indian agent in Pakistan Written and directed by Aditya Dhar, ‘Dhurandhar’ is a spy and action thriller. Ranveer Singh plays an Indian intelligence agent who infiltrates gangs and terrorist networks operating in Pakistan. The film portrays the world of crime and espionage. Alongside Ranveer Singh, R. Madhavan, Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, Rakesh Bedi and Sara Arjun have also played key roles in the franchise.