Archive · 1 Sep 2026
Ram Gopal Varma’s Dhurandhar Obsession Draws Fresh Attention
Ram Gopal Varma strongly admires the Dhurandhar films.
He says Aditya Dhar made cinema feel more realistic and intelligent.
Varma especially likes the complicated characters and the way violence affects them.
He also praised the acting, camera work, sound and action scenes.
He believes the films could encourage other filmmakers to stop relying on familiar formulas.
Varma has compared Aditya Dhar to a teacher from whom he can learn.
He disagreed with the way Dhurandhar 2 showed Dawood Ibrahim, although he said nobody can know the full truth.
After the film Toxic received mostly bad reviews, Varma kept saying he was watching Dhurandhar again.
Many people saw those posts as an indirect criticism of Toxic.
Ram Gopal Varma repeatedly called Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar a major shift for Indian cinema.
Varma praised the film’s characters, performances, violence, technical craft and realistic storytelling.
He described Dhurandhar 2 as a reset for Indian filmmaking and urged filmmakers to rethink old formulas.
Varma questioned Dhurandhar 2’s portrayal of Dawood Ibrahim while acknowledging he could not verify the truth.
After Toxic received mostly negative reviews, Varma repeatedly posted that he was watching Dhurandhar again, prompting interpretations that he was mocking the film.
- Who
- Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, director Aditya Dhar and the films’ casts, including Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna.
- What
- Varma has repeatedly praised Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar 2 as transformative films while criticizing one portrayal and appearing to mock Toxic indirectly.
- When
- His comments began on December 19, 2025, continued through 2026, and included posts after Dhurandhar 2’s March 19 release and Toxic’s August 26 release.
- Where
- The comments were made primarily through Varma’s public posts and a YouTube podcast interview.
- Why
- Varma believes Dhurandhar’s living characters, realistic violence, technical craft and rejection of traditional hero worship challenge established Indian filmmaking formulas.
Varma’s Dhurandhar Admiration
Skepticism About the Obsession
Impact on Indian cinema
Varma’s Dhurandhar Admiration
Varma says Dhurandhar and its sequel are a quantum leap, a reset button and the beginning of a new cinematic order.
Skepticism About the Obsession
The article frames his repeated declarations and comparisons as an apparent obsession, especially after he continued returning to the films months after release.
Posts about Toxic
Varma’s Dhurandhar Admiration
Varma’s posts saying he was watching Dhurandhar again can be read as reaffirming the film’s qualities and lessons about character-driven storytelling.
Skepticism About the Obsession
Because the posts followed Toxic’s mostly negative reviews and did not mention the film directly, many interpreted them as a subtle dig at Toxic.
Dawood Ibrahim portrayal
Varma’s Dhurandhar Admiration
The film presents the character called Bade Sahab as a key figure involved in terror operations from Pakistan.
Skepticism About the Obsession
Varma said this portrayal did not match his understanding, though he acknowledged that neither he nor the director could definitively prove the complete truth about Dawood’s activities.
- Dhurandhar release
- The first film released on December 5, 2025.
- Dhurandhar 2 release
- Dhurandhar 2 released on March 19, 2026.
- Director praised
- Aditya Dhar.
- Varma’s central claim
- Dhurandhar represents a major change or reset for Indian cinema.
- Main creative strengths cited
- Character development, realistic violence, performances, sound design, practical effects, camerawork and chapter-based storytelling.
- Specific criticism
- Varma disagreed with Dhurandhar 2’s portrayal of Dawood Ibrahim, while saying he could not establish the definitive truth.
- Toxic release
- Toxic, starring Yash, released on August 26 and was described as receiving mostly negative reviews.