Archive · 1 Sep 2026
Toxic and Dhurandhar Reflect Cinema’s Shift From Gangster Realism
Toxic and Dhurandhar are two popular films about powerful and dangerous men.
Toxic earned Rs.
285 crore worldwide in five days.
Dhurandhar 2 earned much more, collecting Rs.
848 crore in the same amount of time.
The article says movies about gangsters and spies are still very popular.
Older films often asked why people became criminals and showed problems such as poverty and corruption.
Newer films are described as focusing more on exciting action, dramatic entrances and graphic violence.
The article says modern spies and gangsters can look almost identical on screen.
It suggests audiences may be seeking thrilling fantasies to escape an exhausting and troubled real world.
Toxic earned Rs. 285 crore worldwide within five days of release.
Dhurandhar 2 collected Rs. 848 crore in the same period, while KGF 2 earned Rs. 625 crore four years earlier.
The article argues that gangster, espionage and criminal-world stories remain central to contemporary cinema.
Older films such as Deewaar, Agneepath, Parinda, Satya and Vaastav connected violence to social and economic conditions.
Modern films are portrayed as prioritizing stylized violence, spectacle and escapism over moral complexity or institutional critique.
- Who
- Toxic, directed by Geetu Mohandas, and Dhurandhar, directed by Aditya Dhar, are the central films discussed.
- What
- The article compares their box-office performance and argues that contemporary gangster and spy films increasingly favor spectacle over social critique.
- When
- Toxic’s earnings were reported within five days of its release; the discussion is framed in 2026, with KGF 2’s comparison coming from four years earlier.
- Where
- The reported earnings are worldwide box-office figures.
- Why
- The article attributes the genre’s popularity partly to audiences seeking escape from an exhausting and troubled reality.
Earlier Gangster Cinema
Contemporary Tentpole Cinema
Purpose of Violence
Earlier Gangster Cinema
Violence was generally presented as a consequence of circumstance, often regrettable and connected to the character’s downfall.
Contemporary Tentpole Cinema
Violence is portrayed as increasingly celebratory, aspirational and central to the entertainment experience.
Social Context
Earlier Gangster Cinema
Films such as Deewaar, Agneepath, Parinda, Satya and Vaastav examined corruption, discrimination, poverty and institutional failure.
Contemporary Tentpole Cinema
Modern films are described as reducing origin stories and social context in favor of fast-paced spectacle.
Heroic Image
Earlier Gangster Cinema
The anti-hero was treated as a conflicted figure whose circumstances and moral choices could be questioned.
Contemporary Tentpole Cinema
Spies and gangsters are increasingly depicted as similarly styled, larger-than-life killing machines operating in an aesthetic fantasy.
- Toxic five-day gross
- Rs. 285 crore worldwide
- Dhurandhar 2 five-day gross
- Rs. 848 crore
- KGF 2 comparison
- Rs. 625 crore in the same period four years earlier
- Toxic director
- Geetu Mohandas
- Dhurandhar director
- Aditya Dhar
- Toxic cast mentioned
- Yash, Kiara Advani, Nayanthara and Huma Qureshi
- Article’s central criticism
- Modern gangster and spy films are said to emphasize stylized violence and spectacle over social examination