Filmmaker Praises Sequel’s Craft

Filmmaker Karan Johar has showered praise on Aditya Dhar’s latest directorial, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, calling it a masterclass in mainstream Hindi cinema. In an Instagram post on Friday, Johar described Dhar as an “outstanding filmmaker” who has raised the bar for commercial storytelling.

The film, which released on March 19, marks Dhar’s return to the director’s chair after the 2025 original. Johar’s post came days after the spy-action sequel crossed the ₹1000 crore mark at the global box office, cementing its position as one of the year’s biggest blockbusters.

Johar Lauds Ranveer Singh’s Performance

In his post, Johar reserved special praise for lead actor Ranveer Singh, calling his portrayal of Hamza Ali Mazari – and his origins as Jaskirat Singh Rangi – the actor’s “career BEST work.” Johar wrote that Singh’s emotional range, from quiet stares to moments of swagger, proved he is “one of the greats.”

“Every tear of yours, every quiet stare, each time you walk with undeniable swag you prove you are one of the greats,” Johar said in the caption. He added that Singh would remain an “artist of huge calibre for the ages.”

Director’s Command Praised

Johar devoted significant attention to Aditya Dhar’s direction, highlighting the film’s layered storytelling. He noted that the heart-wrenching backstory of the protagonist and the humanised portrayal of the antagonist reflected Dhar’s “brilliance and directorial command.”

“The impeccable craft… the soundscape and the all round cinematic prowess proves the brilliance,” Johar wrote, adding that the filmmaker “not only raises the mainstream bar but also creates a new one.”

A Nod to 70s Hindi Cinema

The filmmaker, known for his own deep ties to Bollywood’s commercial landscape, drew a personal connection to Dhurandhar: The Revenge. He said the film took him back to the days of watching “pure solid Hindi cinema in single screens in the 70s.”

“I came out satiated and dreamt of being a part of this business… today I am a part of the fraternity and Dhurandhar reminded me of how proud and grateful I am to be here today,” Johar added in his post, which he shared alongside the film’s poster.

Sequel Builds on Spy-Action Universe

Dhurandhar: The Revenge continues the story set in Lyari town, Karachi, an area known for gang wars and turf battles. The franchise, backed by Jyoti Deshpande and Lokesh Dhar under Jio Studios, follows covert intelligence operations against the backdrop of real-world geopolitical events.

The sequel charts the rise of Ranveer Singh’s character in the Karachi underworld while delving into his origins. The ensemble cast includes R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, Sara Arjun and Rakesh Bedi, all reprising their roles from the first instalment. The film was released in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam.

Box Office Dominance

According to trade sources, the film has grossed over ₹1000 crore worldwide within ten days of release. Industry observers attribute the strong performance to positive word-of-mouth and the expanded multilingual release strategy. The original Dhurandhar, released in 2025, had also emerged as a critical and commercial success.

What’s Next for the Franchise

While there has been no official announcement regarding a third instalment, sources indicate that the makers are exploring further expansion of the spy-action universe. With the franchise’s growing box office pull and Johar’s high-profile endorsement, the momentum around the property is expected to continue in the coming weeks.

AIMIM president and Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi has launched a sharp attack on Aditya Dhar’s blockbuster Dhurandhar 2, dismissing the Ranveer Singh-starrer as “three hours of nonsense” and accusing it of promoting violence. Speaking at a news summit on Friday, Owaisi questioned the film’s content and its portrayal of community identities.

When asked about the Dhurandhar franchise, Owaisi responded in a mix of Hindi and Urdu, saying, “Picture hai vo? Teen ghante bakwaas (Is that even a film? It’s three hours of nonsense).” He added that he does not have time to watch a three-hour film and questioned what the movie offered beyond expletives and violence.

Owaisi Questions Film’s Intent

The parliamentarian went on to allege that the film left viewers with a troubling question. “What is even there in the film other than cuss words, promoting violence, and after three hours, it makes you wonder if you must cuss at Muslims or not,” Owaisi said. His remarks came days after the film’s release on March 19, as it continues to dominate the box office.

When the host noted that the “world is watching” Dhurandhar 2 and responding positively, Owaisi brushed aside the observation with a Hyderabadi idiom. “Hum Hyderabad mai bolte hai ki, pyaare, in cheezon ko dil pe mat lo, murde pe lo. To hum murde pe leke chorr dete hai usko (We have a saying in Hyderabad. Dear, do not take it to heart, take it to the grave. So, we take it to the grave and let it go),” he said.

Film’s Plot and Political Backdrop

The Dhurandhar franchise follows Indian spy Jaskirat Singh Rangi, alias Hamza Ali Mazari, played by Ranveer Singh. The character is sent to Lyari, Pakistan, by IB director Ajay Sanyal (R Madhavan) to infiltrate a Baloch gang and dismantle a terror outfit. The films draw from real-life geopolitical events and have been noted for their layered portrayal of intelligence operations.

The sequel, which sees the return of actors Sara Arjun, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, and Rakesh Bedi among others, has been released in multiple South Indian languages alongside Hindi. The expanded release strategy has contributed to its strong box office performance.

Box Office Success Continues

Despite the criticism, Dhurandhar 2 has maintained a record-breaking run. According to trade figures, the film has collected over ₹715 crore in India and surpassed ₹1128 crore worldwide since its release. The first instalment, released in December 2025, had collected ₹840 crore domestically and over ₹1300 crore globally.

The sequel is now on track to outperform the original, making it the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2026 so far. The production is backed by Jyoti Deshpande and Aditya and Lokesh Dhar under Jio Studios and B62 Studios.

Political Reactions and Public Discourse

Owaisi’s remarks add a political dimension to the film’s ongoing box office success. While the filmmaker and lead cast have not responded to the criticism, the controversy has sparked debate on social media, with supporters and detractors of the film weighing in on its portrayal of community dynamics.

Industry observers note that political reactions to mainstream films are not uncommon, particularly when storylines intersect with real-world geopolitical themes. The Dhurandhar franchise, with its focus on cross-border intelligence operations, has drawn both acclaim for its craft and scrutiny for its political undertones.

What’s Next

With the film still in theatres and its box office momentum showing no signs of slowing, the makers are yet to announce any official response to the criticism. Meanwhile, trade analysts expect Dhurandhar 2 to continue its record run through the coming weeks, with potential expansion into additional international markets.

Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat marks a major milestone for producer Anshul Garg while director-writer Milap Zaveri celebrates a long-awaited honour.

The Zee Cine Awards this year turned into a milestone moment for filmmaker Milap Zaveri and producer Anshul Garg, as their film Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat picked up the Best Dialogue award, creating buzz across the industry.

What makes the win particularly interesting is that Zaveri himself described it as his “first Zee Cine Award in 25 years.” The filmmaker took to social media to share the news, thanking the audience and his team for turning the film’s dialogues into a blockbuster talking point.

“Best Dialogue Winner for Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat. My first Zee Cine Award in 25 years! Thank you to the audience who made this film and its dialogues such a blockbuster,” he wrote in an emotional post.

While Zaveri has been a known name in Bollywood for years — writing and directing several commercial entertainers — this recognition marks a rare awards moment in his long career, making the win even more special.

For Anshul Garg, the achievement is equally significant. Ek Deewane Ki Deewaniyat marks his debut film as a producer, and the award has already positioned the project as a noteworthy start to his film journey.

Industry insiders say the film’s dialogues played a major role in shaping its identity, with several lines from the film gaining popularity among audiences and on social media.

In his post, Zaveri also thanked the film’s cast and collaborators, including Harshvardhan Rane and Sonam Bajwa, along with producer Anshul Garg and the rest of the team who supported the project.

The win has sparked conversations online, with many pointing out that despite decades in the industry, Zaveri had not previously taken home a Zee Cine Award — making this recognition both surprising and symbolic.

For Garg, meanwhile, the award marks an impressive beginning in cinema, with his debut production already bringing home a major trophy.

Toonsutra, India's #1 digital comics platform, today announced a landmark expansion of its AI-powered localization capabilities, adding support for five new Indian languages: Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, and Malayalam. The announcement marks the first time readers in these languages will have access to premium, best-selling international comics, including titles that have never before been available in these languages anywhere.

With this expansion, Toonsutra now supports 10 languages: Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, English, and Bahasa Indonesia, covering the native tongues of over 1.5 billion people across India and Southeast Asia.

A Historic First for Indian Language Comics.

For hundreds of millions of Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, and Malayalam speakers, premium comic content has historically been available only in English or Hindi. Toonsutra's AI-powered translation platform changes that. Not by offering machine-translated versions of obscure titles, but by making Toonsutra's full catalog of 3,200+ premium titles available in these languages, including internationally bestselling comics for the very first time.

"Language should never be a barrier to great storytelling," said Vishal Anand, Co-founder & CEO of Toonsutra. "We built our AI localization engine precisely to solve this problem at scale. Today, a student in Pune, a professional in Bengaluru, or a teenager in Kochi can pick up the same globally loved comics their counterparts in Tokyo or New York read, in the language they think and dream in. That's a genuinely new thing in the world."

AI at the Core: Autonomous, High-Quality Localization

Toonsutra's language expansion is powered by its proprietary AI localization engine, built in partnership with Google's AI Futures Fund, which autonomously translates not just text, but the full visual and cultural context of comics. Unlike generic machine translation, Toonsutra's system is purpose-built for visual storytelling: understanding panel flow, character voice, cultural idioms, and the constraints of speech bubbles.

The result is high-quality, natural-sounding comics that read as if originally written for Indian audiences. The same technology enables Toonsutra to scale across languages far faster than traditional localization methods, which typically require months of manual effort per title.

Why This Matters: The Scale of the Opportunity

The five newly added languages together represent over 450 million people, one of the largest untapped digital content markets in the world. Bengali alone accounts for approximately 230 million of those speakers, making it the 7th most spoken language globally and larger than the entire population of Brazil. Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, and Malayalam are each the heartbeat of their respective states, with deeply proud literary traditions and tens of millions of passionate readers who have long consumed global content in languages not their own. Collectively, these are communities that have historically been underserved by global digital entertainment platforms. Toonsutra's expansion directly addresses that gap.

Toonsutra's Full Language Lineup
With today's announcement, Toonsutra supports: Hindi, Bengali, Marathi, Gujarati, Kannada, Malayalam, Tamil, Telugu, English, and Bahasa Indonesia.

About Toonsutra
Toonsutra is India's #1 digital comics platform with 2M+ monthly active users. Backed by Google's AI Futures Fund, Holtzbrinck, Sony Innovation Fund, and others, Toonsutra is on a mission to make the world's best comics accessible to every reader, in every language. The platform has been recognized as Google Play's "Best Hidden Gem" and has pioneered innovations including Cinematic Mode and ToonScript (AI-powered prose-to-webtoon technology).
Website:www.toonsutra.comDownload: Available on Google Play and the App Store