'Aditya Dhar has broken the complete theory of Bollywood': Priyadarshan says Dhurandhar will be remembered like Sholay

In an exclusive chat with Hindustan Times, Priyadarshan spoke about his former assistant Aditya Dhar, who is revelling in the success of Dhurandhar.

As Dhurandhar 2 gallops towards the ₹1500 crore mark at the worldwide box office, the film’s cultural impact is being discussed by cinephiles and industry insiders equally. The two Dhurandhar films, directed by Aditya Dhar, have outgrossed even Baahubali, earning over ₹2400 crore together. Filmmaker Priyadarshan, who has been profuse in his praise of the film and its director, has now compared it to the iconic blockbuster Sholay.

Aditya Dhar had assisted Priyadarshan on two of his films before turning director.

Priyadarshan on Aditya Dhar and Dhurandhar

In a chat with Hindustan Times, Priyadarshan is all praises for Aditya, who assisted him on Aakrosh and Tezz. “Today, Aditya is motivating me. I never taught him anything, but he learnt while working. He is motivating me through his work,” says the veteran filmmaker who is soon returning to Hindi films with Bhooth Bangla.

Priyadarshan and Aditya go back almost two decades. Before making his directorial debut with Uri, Aditya not only assisted Priyadarshan but also served as the dialogue writer on two of his films. Priyadarshan admits to being blown away by Dhurandhar. “I loved the film. He (Aditya) broke the complete theory of Bollywood and Indian cinema. People said films should be shot this way and that way. He broke everything and succeeded,” the filmmaker says.

Dhurandhar will be remembered like Sholay

The first Dhurandhar, starring Ranveer Singh as an Indian spy in Pakistan, was released in December. A monumental success, it minted ₹1300 crore worldwide, including ₹840 crore net in India alone, a new record for Bollywood. The sequel, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, released earlier this month and broke every existing box-office record on its way to ₹1350 crore in just 11 days. The film is on course to top Dangal as the highest-grossing Indian film ever. Addressing the film’s legacy and Aditya Dhar’s role in it, Priyadarshan says, “That revolution he created is historic. Now he can sleep. He will be remembered like (the makers of) Sholay.”

Dhurandhar 2 also stars Arjun Rampal, R Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt, Rakesh Bedi, Sara Arjun, and Danish Pandore in pivotal roles.

Priyadarashan's return to Hindi cinema

Priyadarshan, known primarily for his path-breaking Malayalam films, was prolific in Hindi cinema from 2000 to 2013, following which he took a break from Bollywood to return to Malayalam films. He returned briefly with Hungama 2, released in 2021. But starting this year, the veteran filmmaker is making a full-fledged return to Bollywood with three films, all starring Akshay Kumar. The first of these is horror-comedy Bhooth Bangla, which releases in April.