Entertainment · Indian Cinema · 7 hrs ago
Imtiaz Ali says Dhurandhar's success challenges Bollywood formulas
Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali said Dhurandhar was once seen as an impractical film when it was being taken to studios.
The Hindi spy thriller, written and directed by Aditya Dhar, stars Ranveer Singh as an Indian agent who infiltrates gangs and terror networks in Pakistan.
The film went on to succeed despite doubts, and Ali said it broke the rules people expected films to follow.
He pointed to its length as one reason it challenges common assumptions, since some say audiences will not watch long films.
Its success has added to a wider rethink in Hindi cinema about whether big stars, shorter films or familiar formulas are needed for a hit.
The film is part of a pair that are now the two highest-grossing Hindi films in India, though the two received different critical responses.
Ali says filmmakers are now asking what will work, but no specific next step for the industry was given.
Imtiaz Ali said Dhurandhar’s success shows that old formulas in the Hindi film industry no longer hold.
He described the industry as going through a phase of introspection about what audiences will watch.
Ali said studios had viewed Dhurandhar as impractical and unlikely to succeed when it was being pitched.
He noted that the film broke industry rules and that filmmakers now want to make similar films.
Ali made the comments at the Hindustan Times Summit.
- Who
- Filmmaker Imtiaz Ali.
- What
- He said Dhurandhar’s success challenges established formulas in the Hindi film industry.
- When
- At the Hindustan Times Summit; the event date is not stated.
- Where
- The Hindustan Times Summit; its location is not stated.
- Why
- Ali cited the film’s success despite studios initially considering it impractical and unlikely to succeed.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
Ali said people viewed the film as impractical and unlikely to succeed.
Dhurandhar became a success, which Ali cited as an example of a film breaking industry rules.
Ali said the Hindi film industry was going through a phase of introspection.
- Speaker
- Imtiaz Ali
- Film
- Dhurandhar
- Summit
- Hindustan Times Summit
- Director and writer
- Aditya Dhar
- Lead actor
- Ranveer Singh
3 sources
Imtiaz Ali praises 'Dhurandhar' for breaking rules: 'People thought that this is the most impractical'
"Dhurandhar Was The Most Impractical Film": Imtiaz Ali On Why Studios Intially Doubted Ranveer Singh's Film
At HTLS, Imtiaz Ali hails Dhurandhar, says many in Bollywood called it an impractical film, least likely to succeed
What people are saying
Forgetting the fact that when Dhurandhar was actually conceived and it was doing its run around those studios, people thought that this is the most impractical, a film with the least likelihood of success!
But it broke all the rules, and after that everybody wants to make that.
The language might change, but I feel it's a phase of introspection that the film industry is going through.