Veteran filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has made a bold declaration about the recently released spy action thriller Dhurandhar, starring Ranveer Singh and directed by Aditya Dhar. RGV, who has been an ardent and vocal supporter of the film since its release over three weeks ago, stated that the movie has effectively "kicked out South Indian films" from their dominant position in the pan-Indian action genre.
RGV's Bold Declaration on South Indian Cinema's Template
In a detailed conversation with Gulte Pro, Ram Gopal Varma elaborated on his striking claim. He argued that the era of simplistic hero elevation, where the protagonist is glorified above all else through background scores and stylized sequences, has been challenged by Dhurandhar's approach. "We are into hero elevation now. Except for the hero, no one else matters in a movie. We constantly use background score and make the audience worship the hero. Dhurandhar, however, does the exact opposite," Varma explained.
He praised the film for treating Ranveer Singh's character as an integral part of the narrative fabric rather than its sole driving force. "It treats him like a character. He's just one of the many characters. Many a time, I felt that Ranveer Singh had disappeared into the story and wasn't leading it. On top of that, although he's larger than life, so are every other character, including the villains," RGV noted, highlighting the film's balanced character development.
Breaking the Pan-Indian Action Mold
RGV pinpointed the specific element where he believes Dhurandhar has rewritten the rulebook for big-scale Indian cinema. He focused on the film's action sequences, which he described as a departure from the established, often exaggerated template popularized by many successful South Indian pan-India releases.
"The biggest problem pan-India films, which currently come from the South, are going to face is that... all their action sequences are templated in a certain format, which Dhurandhar has broken with its realistic hardcore action," Varma asserted. He contrasted the styles, saying, "Here, nobody's jumping in the air; one punch doesn't send five people flying. This is the exact opposite of that; it (Dhurandhar's fight) seems like it can really happen. After this, if we see a fight like the ones we do often, it will appear like a joke."
He believes this shift towards gritty, immersive, and plausible action will force a rethink in how future pan-Indian projects are conceived and executed.
Acknowledging the Commercial Template Within Innovation
Despite lauding its groundbreaking elements, Ram Gopal Varma was careful to clarify that Dhurandhar is not an entirely unconventional film. He acknowledged that its core plot structure follows a familiar commercial template.
"There's a hero who goes (to a place) for a good cause; then he gets into trouble; falls in love with the girl; then there is a villain; there are flashbacks; and there's revenge. All of that is part of a traditional template. It's not a different film," he stated. He differentiated it from surprise socio-political hits like The Kashmir Files (2022) or The Kerala Story (2023), emphasizing that Dhurandhar's success lies in execution, not novelty of premise.
"Dhurandhar is a film that can be made by any commercial masala filmmaker. If you give the same story... they can make it like a KGF 2," Varma said. However, he credited director Aditya Dhar's skill for elevating the material. "But Dhurandhar's strength was its immersive storytelling. There wasn't a single character the director was partial to. They received equal important respect. And the action set pieces were something you've never seen before."
RGV concluded by stating that while Dhurandhar has proven Bollywood's capability to deliver high-octane action spectacles that can resonate across India, the industry must now learn from this success and build upon it to sustain this newfound momentum.
