‘Dhurandhar’ has changed grammar and whole perspective towards filmmaking: Rajkummar Rao

Actor Rajkummar Rao believes Aditya Dhar’s two-part spy saga Dhurandhar is a disruptor for Hindi cinema, one that has altered its “grammar”, and says filmmakers should feel empowered to tell their stories freely without worrying about runtime.

Dhurandhar and its sequel Dhurandhar: The Revenge, headlined by Ranveer Singh, have emerged as box office juggernauts, earning over Rs 1,300 crore worldwide each, with the duology’s combined gross of over Rs 3,000 crore making it the highest-grossing Indian film franchise of all time.

“Every decade or every five years, some film would come which would change the grammar and would change the whole perspective towards filmmaking. And I’m glad Dhurandhar has done that,” Rao told in an interview.

The 41-year-old actor said he saw both the parts and “absolutely loved” them.

“I think Aditya’s language of cinema and the way his craft is, it’s phenomenal. I have never seen a spy film like this in my whole life coming out of India. The way he has portrayed Ranveer in it was absolutely brilliant. His passion, his storytelling, his use of music, shot taking, everything. There was so much to learn from it. (It was a) very new kind of filmmaking,” he added.

Rao, known for his critically-acclaimed performances in movies such as Shahid, Omerta, Newton, Ludo and Stree franchise, also addressed the long-standing fixation on runtime in filmmaking.

Both Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar: The Revenge had a runtime of over three hours but it didn’t deter the audiences from turning up in huge numbers.

“I think this whole thing of making it under two hours, make it under two and a half hours, it doesn’t matter. A good film is a good film,” he said.

He gave the example of Aamir Khan’s Lagaan and Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal.

“If a film holds, it holds. It doesn’t matter how long it is. So it should empower your directors, it should empower your makers to let them make the film that they want to make and don’t interfere with some perception that you have of the industry and the audience.

“That this is how it is, no one knows how it is. There is no formula and ‘Dhurandhar’ has proved. The only formula is your passion and your filmmaking,” he added.

The actor currently stars in Netflix comedy Toaster, which marks his debut as a producer alongside wife Patralekhaa. They have produced the movie through their banner Kampa Film.

Patralekhaa said she watched Dhurandha and its sequel twice and was “so blown away”.

“The first time I watched the films, I was simply enjoying the ride. The second time, I focused on understanding the technicalities and storytelling. Aditya is truly a gem in filmmaking today, he has genuinely changed the perception,” she said.

Actor Sanya Malhotra, Rao’s co-star from Toaster, said she saw the first part but is yet to watch the follow-up.

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“It has some amazing performances, amazing story and also the music, I am a fan of… Cannot stop listening to how amazing the album is. Everything about the film is perfect,” she said.

Dhurandhar, which was released in December 2025, follows a decade-long Indian intelligence operation in which an undercover agent infiltrates Karachi’s criminal and political underworld. Ranveer Singh plays the covert operative who rises through the ranks of the ISI-underworld nexus from within, with the mission of dismantling it.

The second instalment, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, was released on March 19 and picked up the story from where the first film left off, with both parts having been shot concurrently.