Ranveer Singh shot ‘real’ explosion with 500 litres petrol in Dhurandhar 2, says SFX supervisor: ‘No CGI used'

Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar: The Revenge featured real explosions, including a massive climax with 500 litres of petrol and no CGI was used.

Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar: The Revenge became the talk of the town upon its release in March this year. The film’s high-octane action sequences and explosive set pieces were among its biggest highlights. In a recent podcast with Hindi Rush, the film’s SFX supervisor Vishal Tyagi revealed that all the explosions in the film were real, including the massive climax sequence featuring Ranveer Singh and Arjun Rampal, which used 500 litres of petrol.

Ranveer Singh's still from Dhurandhar The Revenge.

Dhurandhar's SFX supervisor shares details about climax's explosion

Vishal shared that he is often asked to create smaller explosions that are later enhanced through CGI. However, that approach was not followed in Dhurandhar. He said, “But Aditya Dhar said, 'I don't want to use CGI,' especially for explosions. Jo last waala tanker blast tha, that was the toughest. Usmein sabse bada safety concern tha. (The last blast was the toughest. It was the biggest safety concern). Imagine 500 litres of petrol. All the fragments in that blast were real. Ranveer was walking in close proximity, and I had to make sure the flames did not reach Ranveer. We did all the work and precisely told Ranveer Singh where he could start walking. Humne actually Dhurandhar mein khoon paseena diya hai (We actually gave our blood and sweat to Dhurandhar).”

He further revealed that Arjun Rampal was initially present in the shot but was removed before the explosion was filmed due to safety concerns. Vishal admitted he was particularly worried about Ranveer during the sequence, even though the actor himself appeared calm. This, he said, was because Ranveer trusted the team’s precision and the detailed briefings given before executing the stunt.

Vishal also shared that even after wrapping up, the team, including Arjun Rampal, chose to stay back to watch the explosion. After the shot was completed, Ranveer praised the team and said, “Faad diya tune (You absolutely smashed it).”

Talking about the scale of the sequence, Vishal added, “I had a lot of production pressure on me. Real train base and containers were used for the explosion. It was very challenging, but we were confident. Production told me to use 250 litres, but I was adamant that at least 500 litres of fuel was required. To make that explode, I also had to add 25 kilos of explosive in each of these tanks to get the right effect. Maine suna sabki, ki apne mann ki (I heard all of them but did what my heart said).”

About Dhurandhar: The Revenge’s success

The spy thriller showcased Ranveer Singh in a fierce avatar, tracing his character’s journey from Jaskirat Singh Rangi to Hamza. The film follows Hamza as he sets out to dismantle a terror network targeting India. It received largely positive reviews and has so far grossed over ₹1,750 crore worldwide, making it the third-highest-grossing Indian film of all time. Dhurandhar 2 is also the first Bollywood film to cross ₹1,000 crore net in India.