Imtiaz Ali said many in Bollywood initially doubted the success of the film Dhurandhar. Speaking at the 24th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, he noted that people called it the most impractical film. Despite these early doubts, the movie broke all the rules and became a massive hit at the box office.
Imtiaz Ali recalls how many in Bollywood saw Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar as ‘impractical’ and unlikely to succeed before its release.
‘People Thought Dhurandhar Is The Most Impractical Film’: Imtiaz Ali
While speaking at the 24th Hindustan Times Leadership Summit, Imtiaz Ali said, “I feel something very interesting is happening in the film industry. We are in that delicious phase where people are saying that nothing is working. Should we go with the big star, non-star… what is going to work? People are saying that attention span is missing in the audience but the films which are doing well are three hours long. nothing long is working. People are citing Dhurandhar as an example of what is successful but look at the length of that film!"
He recalled people doubting Dhurandhar, calling it the most impractical film. “Forgetting the fact that when Dhurandhar was actually conceived and it was doing its run around those studios, people thought that this is the most impractical, a film with the least likelihood of success! But it broke all the rules and after that everybody wants to make that. All of us are thinking what will work. The language might change but I feel its a phase of introspection that the film industry is going through," he further added.
About Dhurandhar
Dhurandhar, written and directed by Aditya Dhar, was released on 5 December 2025. The spy action thriller stars Ranveer Singh in the lead role, alongside Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal and Sara Arjun. The story follows an undercover Indian intelligence agent who infiltrates Karachi’s criminal underworld to dismantle a terrorist network targeting India.
Dhurandhar achieved remarkable success at the box office, emerging as one of the biggest commercial hits in Indian cinema. It collected approximately Rs 1,350 crore worldwide, including around Rs 894 crore in domestic net collections. Its extraordinary theatrical run established it among the highest-grossing Indian films of all time and made it a major milestone in Ranveer Singh’s career.
Following the success of the first instalment, the second part, titled Dhurandhar: The Revenge, was released on 19 March 2026. It earned approximately Rs 1,813 crore worldwide, taking the combined worldwide collection of the two films beyond Rs 3,100 crore.