Ram Gopal Varma hails Dhurandhar, predicts success for Dhurandhar 2

Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has praised Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar since its release and expressed high expectations for its sequel, Dhurandhar 2, starring Ranveer Singh. Varma suggested that if the sequel earns between ₹1,500–2,000 crore at the box office, it could significantly challenge the business of South Indian films.

In an interview with Variety India, Varma said audiences are deeply invested in the characters and story from the first film.

"They shot both parts simultaneously, so it's essentially one film split into two," he noted, adding that he expects Dhurandhar 2 to outperform its predecessor. Varma also highlighted the strong promotional efforts for the film in South India.

He further credited the original Dhurandhar with redefining action choreography in Bollywood.

"You can't have people flying in the air and kicking mid-air anymore; the action has to be realistic. If Dhurandhar 2 makes ₹1,500–2,000 crore, all South films could be affected since they're designed in the old-school way," Varma said.

The trailer for Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge was released last Saturday, with Varma praising it on X (formerly Twitter), calling it "STRATOSPHERIC LEVEL" and commending Aditya Dhar's direction.

Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge is among the most anticipated Hindi films in recent years. Directed by Aditya Dhar, it sees Ranveer Singh return as Hamza, also known as Jaskirat, an Indian spy operating in Pakistan.

The film also stars R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, Danish Pandor, Rakesh Bedi, and Sara Arjun. The first part, released in December last year, was a mega hit, earning ₹1,300 crore worldwide.

Initially, the sequel was expected to clash at the box office with Yash's Toxic, but the release of Toxic was postponed from March 19 to June 4.

Dhurandhar 2 will now face competition from Pawan Kalyan's Ustaad Bhagat Singh, a remake of Vijay's Theri, both films set to release on 19 March with paid previews on 18 March.