Veteran filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma took to social media to issue a bold statement about the upcoming spy thriller Dhurandhar 2, describing it as an industry-altering event.
In his note, Varma wrote: "DHURANDAR 2 is an ASTEROID which might end the DINOSAUR era @AdityaDharFilms DHURANDHAR 2 has high chances of completely and permanently obliterating the pan india south films movement by establishing a brand new benchmark with ultra realistic making, genuine character depths etc that actually engage the audience’s brain while still delivering a raw visceral impact. Once audiences taste this new standard, every film currently under production in the previous masala style can become instantly endangered. Those ultra big budgeted masala projects that are already deep into shooting or post production will have an uphill task in competing with the new standards set. Producers who bet entire empires on the same previous formulaic making might face empty theatres and career ending losses because of the high costs involved and the audience taste converting to the international standards. Directors married to the belief of 'mass + vfx + scale + gravity defying stunts = guaranteed hit' will have no choice but to reinvent themselves by studying the Dhurandhar audiences.
Superstars who were depending upon their god like statuses resting solely on mindless hero worship will stand exposed in front of highly effective characters who grow to be heroes in the context of the story rather than already being hailed as heroes from frame one. DHURANDHAR 2 is not just another film coming on March 19th. It can be an ASTEROID STRIKE that might end the DINOSAUR ERA of film making which is full of sheer volume, fake heroism and the so called masala treatment. The goal post has been changed and so if the direction of the kick does not change, it might not only break the leg, but it might lose the limb" read the note.
Directed by Aditya Dhar, Dhurandhar 2 stars Ranveer Singh as spy Hamza Ali Mazari, continuing the story from the 2025 hit Dhurandhar. The film is scheduled for release on March 19, 2026, amid a box-office clash with Yash’s Toxic.
Varma’s note has ignited discussion across the industry. Supporters applaud the potential shift toward realism and international filmmaking standards, while critics dismiss it as self-promotion or derivative of Varma’s own cult classic Satya, highlighting ongoing debates on the evolution of Bollywood and the dominance of pan-India South films.