Dhurandhar 2: Madhur Bhandarkar says there is no unity in the film industry; ‘South stars appreciated, Bollywood remained silent’.
Madhur Bhandarkar Praising Dhurandhar: The Revenge, its impact has been weighed Aditya Dhar Along with directing, he also exposed the “shocking silence” of the Hindi film industry.In conversation with Faridoon Shahryar, the filmmaker said that the film has disrupted the industry in an unprecedented way.Support Ram Gopal VermaOn the ‘like a nuclear bomb under the film industry’ comment, Bhandarkar said, “I completely agree with Ram Gopal Varma. I think Ramu ji and I were the first to tweet about the film. I saw it in a paid preview on Wednesday night and tweeted about it the next morning. I also spoke to Aditya Dhar again and told him how great the film is. I liked Dhurandhar 2 more than Dhurandhar 1.”
‘South stars praised, Bollywood remained silent’
The filmmaker pointed out that many South Indian stars had openly praised the film, something they felt was lacking in Bollywood.He said, “I saw tweets from Mahesh Babu, Allu Arjun, Ram Charan, Rajinikanth sir… many South actors appreciated it. But I am really surprised that from our Mumbai film industry, Aditya Dhar did not get the kind of appreciation and support he deserved.”He said that regardless of personal taste, films deserve appreciation. “Every film – whether you like it or not – deserves appreciation. Aditya Dhar has brought life back into the industry. We were going through a very bad phase for the last one and a half to two years. Films were not doing well at the box office and yet this film has done brilliantly.”
‘No unity in the film industry’
Bhandarkar didn’t mince words when speaking about the lack of unity within the industry.He said, “I always say there is no unity in the film industry. The support that should have come from the filmmakers, actors, producers here… was not there. But look at the South – superstars saw the film in the first few days and openly appreciated it.”“Everyone benefits when a film does well – technicians, spot boys, actors, music directors. We should appreciate openly. What are we trying to prove by remaining silent?”
‘This film has changed the dynamics’
Referring to the scale and impact of the film, the filmmaker echoed Ram Gopal Varma’s “dinosaur” analogy, but went one step further.“I think it’s bigger than that. This film has changed the entire dynamics of filmmaking – the script, the logic, the grammar. People are surprised. I’ve talked to a lot of directors and they’re like, ‘What a film!'” he said.“I even tweeted that this will be a case study around the world – in film schools, everywhere. The industry needs to wake up now and understand what kind of films to make.”
‘You can’t get Aditya Dhar’s brain’
Bhandarkar also credited Aditya Dhar’s foresight, calling it a “director’s film”.“This is a director’s film. You can have all the money, but you can’t get a brain like Aditya Dhar.” The script, the narration – these days people don’t even watch a one-minute WhatsApp video in full, but here they are sitting till 2:45 in the night watching the entire film,” he said.Sharing his personal experience, he said, “I have seen Dhurandhar 2 twice and Dhurandhar 1 thrice. I go to theaters and see the audience. People stay glued till the end credits. That emotional connect, especially in the climax. Ranveer Singh‘s character—it gives you goosebumps. There were tears in people’s eyes.