RGV's Praise for 'Dhurandhar'

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has once again praised Aditya Dhar's spy thriller 'Dhurandhar', this time focusing on what he considers its greatest strength: its characters. In a lengthy post on X, Varma wrote that the film is "full of living, breathing characters who seem as real as you and me sitting and watching in the theatre, hence making it highly relatable." He argued that the film's realism takes his own 1998 crime drama 'Satya' to "another level," as reported by The Indian Express and The Times of India.

Varma elaborated that the hero in 'Dhurandhar' is not treated as a "walking poster who must be worshipped at all costs." He noted that the protagonist "can be non-existent in the room. He can wait tables, listen instead of speaking, miscalculate, get dirty, get smaller in front of more smaller characters." The camera, he said, "does not constantly elevate. It watches." Audiences stay, he argued, because "the people on screen make you stay by becoming immersive."

Contrast with Other Films

Varma contrasted 'Dhurandhar' with what he described as other films that rely on style over substance. "The other films swagger. Have fog and slow motion that lasts longer than the characters' inner lives," he wrote. He criticized films where "violence is just a spectacle minus context. Attitude is the plot. Style arrives first and then searches for a reason. The camera does not observe, it advertises. Editing does not cut time, it manufactures fake intensity that was never in the writing."

He also invoked James Cameron's 'Titanic' to illustrate his point about budgets and realism. "Back in the day even in a mega-budget film like Titanic, James Cameron spent the money to make it look as real as possible, whereas we do the exact opposite here," Varma argued, as quoted by The Indian Express.

Characters and Violence

Varma highlighted that 'Dhurandhar's' chief antagonist, Rehman Dakait (played by Akshaye Khanna), is not glorified. "Rehman Dakait does not exist to look iconic in a still. He exists as a man with a specific laugh, a specific fear, a specific way of holding a gun or a stare," he wrote. He also praised the supporting cast, including Rakesh Bedi's Jameel Jamali, Sanjay Dutt's SP Chaudhary Aslam, Danish Pandor's Uzair Baloch, and Gaurav Gera's Mohmmed Aalam, saying they "do not exist to decorate the star." Instead, they "feel like people who would still be there whether the hero was there or not."

Regarding violence, Varma said that in 'Dhurandhar', it "has a before and an after. Somebody pays. Somebody changes. Somebody is left standing feeling smaller," contrasting this with other films where violence is disconnected from character and consequence.

Speculation About 'Toxic'

Varma's latest comments do not mention 'Toxic' by name, but they come days after he appeared to take a swipe at the Yash-starrer. On the film's release day, Varma posted on X, "Watching Dhurandhar again and again," which many interpreted as a pointed comparison between the two films, as reported by The Times of India. His criticism of films that "prioritise style, hero elevation and spectacle over character" has prompted speculation among social media users about whether he is indirectly referring to Geetu Mohandas' directorial.

Meanwhile, 'Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups', starring Yash alongside Nayanthara and Kiara Advani, has continued its theatrical run despite mixed reviews. The Times of India reported that the film is nearing the Rs 300 crore India net milestone. The Indian Express, however, noted that 'Toxic' failed to cross Rs 300 crore at the worldwide box office during its five-day extended opening weekend, while 'Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge' surpassed that mark within the same period earlier this year. The two films were originally scheduled to clash on March 19, but 'Toxic's' release was postponed due to the Gulf conflict, which The Indian Express said hampered its chances in the lucrative Middle East market.

'Toxic' is co-produced by Yash's Monster Mind Creations and K Venkat Narayana's KVN Productions, and co-written by Yash and Mohandas. It features a pan-India cast including Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Rukmini Vasanth, Tara Sutaria, and Akshay Oberoi. The film was made simultaneously in Kannada and English, and dubbed in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, and Malayalam.

Varma's Upcoming Projects

On the work front, Varma's last directorial project was 'Shapadham', theatrically released in 2024. He is currently working on 'Police Station Mein Bhoot', featuring Manoj Bajpayee, Genelia Deshmukh, and Ramya Krishnan, which is expected to release in 2026, as reported by Times Now.