It feels like we’ve been waiting forever for this one, doesn't it? After a two-year break, Ranveer Singh is storming back onto the big screen with Dhurandhar, a high-octane spy thriller from Aditya Dhar, the genius behind Uri: The Surgical Strike. With a star-studded cast and a trailer that set social media on fire, the buzz has been absolutely electric. But as we get closer to its December 5th release, the story has gotten a whole lot more complicated.
Key Highlights
- ✓ The film has a massive runtime of 3 hours, 34 minutes, and 1 second, making it one of the longest Bollywood films in 17 years.
- ✓ It received an 'A' certificate from the CBFC, a first for a Ranveer Singh-led film in his entire career.
- ✓ Advance bookings slowed after a strong start, with collections reaching ₹4.24 crore before release day.
- ✓ The film faced legal challenges from the family of the late Major Mohit Sharma over its alleged biographical connection.
- ✓ Director Aditya Dhar and the CBFC have officially confirmed the film is a work of fiction and not based on Major Sharma's life.
The Hype Train Hits a Speed Bump
Just a couple of weeks ago, the chatter around Dhurandhar was that it could be the biggest Hindi film opening of the year. People were throwing around massive numbers, suggesting it might even eclipse blockbusters like Chhaava and War 2. The advance bookings opened with a bang on Monday, quickly crossing the ₹1 crore mark and making everyone think this was going to be a runaway train.
But then, something shifted. The initial surge started to fizzle out, and the pace of pre-sales slowed down considerably. By Wednesday afternoon, with just over a day to go, the advance booking for day one stood at a modest ₹2.28 crore from about 50,000 tickets sold. Later reports from industry tracker Sacnilk showed the numbers climbing to ₹4.24 crore, which is better, but still a far cry from the explosive start everyone predicted.
Trade experts have had to dial back their expectations. That predicted ₹25+ crore opening day now seems like a long shot. The consensus now is an opening in the range of ₹18-20 crore, with some even floating more conservative estimates around ₹15 crore. To put that in perspective, it’s well behind this year’s big openers like Saiyaara (₹21.50 crore) and Chhaava (₹31 crore), and not even in the same league as Ranbir Kapoor’s Animal, which pulled in a staggering ₹64 crore on its first day back in 2023.
Paid Negativity or Genuine Concerns?
Adding another layer to this whole saga, Yami Gautam, director Aditya Dhar's wife, dropped a bombshell on X (formerly Twitter). She penned a long note calling out what she described as a "plague" in the industry: paid PR campaigns designed to create negative hype around a film. She hinted that Dhurandhar was being targeted, describing the practice as "kind of extortion" where people demand money to ensure good press.
Her post has certainly got people talking. Is the slowing buzz a result of organic audience sentiment, or is there something more manipulative going on behind the scenes? It's a classic chicken-and-egg situation, but her comments definitely suggest that the team feels they're fighting an uphill battle against more than just box office expectations.
The Shadow of a Real-Life Hero
Perhaps the biggest storm the film has had to weather is the controversy surrounding the late Army officer, Major Mohit Sharma. For a long time, rumors swirled that Dhurandhar was secretly a biopic based on the life of this celebrated war hero, who was posthumously awarded the Ashok Chakra. This speculation led to significant legal trouble for the filmmakers.
Major Sharma's family claimed the movie was based on his life without their consent and filed a petition in the Delhi High Court seeking to protect his legacy. His elder brother, Madhur Sharma, explained their position to NDTV, saying, "We had no other way to get closure... As parents, they should know whether this relates to their son or not." You can completely understand their need for clarity and respect for their son's incredible sacrifice.
Setting the Record Straight
In response to the growing controversy, director Aditya Dhar took to X on November 26th to issue a very clear statement. He wrote, "Our film Dhurandhar is not based on the life of braveheart Major Mohit Sharma AC(P) SM. This is an official clarification." He went on to assure everyone that if they ever did make a film about the Major, it would be with the family's full consent and cooperation.
Following the family's concerns, the Delhi High Court directed the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) to re-examine the film. After a review on December 2nd, the board officially confirmed that Dhurandhar is indeed a work of fiction with no biographical link to Major Sharma. They did, however, ask for the removal of a few visuals of violence and gave the film its 'A' certificate—a first in Ranveer Singh’s 15-year career.
What's 'Dhurandhar' Actually About?
So, with the biopic rumors put to rest, what is the story? The official synopsis sets up a gripping premise. Set after the hijacking of IC-814 in 1999 and the 2001 Parliament attack, the film follows India's Intelligence Bureau Chief, Ajay Sanyal, as he devises a daring mission to infiltrate and dismantle the terrorist network in Pakistan by going through the underworld mafia of Karachi's gangster hotbed, Lyari.
The plot thickens when Sanyal identifies a 20-year-old boy from Punjab, who is being held captive for a revenge crime, as the key to this mission. It sounds like a gritty, high-stakes espionage thriller, drawing inspiration from real-life geopolitical tensions and covert operations. The cast is absolutely stacked, with Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, R Madhavan, and Arjun Rampal joining Ranveer in what promises to be an intense ride.
And get this—the film is a marathon. It clocks in at a staggering three hours, thirty-four minutes, and one second, making it one of the longest Bollywood films in recent memory. If that's not enough drama, press screenings in both New Delhi and Mumbai were cancelled due to "technical reasons," and there were reports of a delay in delivering the IMAX version to theaters. It feels like this film is fighting right up to the finish line!
Conclusion
So here we are, on the eve of Dhurandhar's release, and the picture is anything but simple. We have a film from a blockbuster director, starring one of Bollywood's biggest names, with a powerful ensemble cast and a thrilling plot. Yet, it's facing a perfect storm of slowing box office momentum, last-minute technical glitches, and the lingering shadow of a major controversy.
The bottom line is that the fate of Dhurandhar now rests entirely on the audience. If the movie is as powerful as its trailer suggests, strong word-of-mouth could easily turn these pre-release jitters into a distant memory. It's a high-stakes gamble, but if there's anyone who can pull off an incredible comeback, it's Aditya Dhar and Ranveer Singh.
