Varma has, yet again, started a conversation about a hugely successful film, and this time he’s focusing on the film industry’s reaction to Dhurandhar The Revenge. After the film made a lot of money, Varma used social media to point out the ‘loud silence’ of his colleagues, who he thinks should be celebrating Aditya Dhar’s success.
Varma’s public rebuke and sharp metaphors
On X, Varma said some very direct and vivid things about Dhurandhar, calling it an ‘atomic bomb’ for the film industry. He found the quiet surprising and telling, and thinks filmmakers and others in the business are in a state of disbelief, denial and are unable to act.
He jokingly came up with reasons why other directors haven’t said anything. These ranged from being sent ‘into outer space’ by how big the movie is, to quietly saying the success won’t last or that it’s because of propaganda. He shows he likes the film but also warns against being too happy with the way things are.
Commercial success and cultural impact of Dhurandhar The Revenge
Dhurandhar The Revenge has been a massive success at the box office, making over 600 crore rupees worldwide and being the main thing people are discussing in cinema since it came out in March. It’s done so well financially that it’s now the standard against which all current mainstream films will be judged.
But the film has done more than just bring in money; it’s started arguments about how ambitious a story can be, how large a movie can be, and what people expect when they go to the cinema. Varma believes a cultural change as important as this requires people to openly say what they think and to study it, not to politely ignore it, if the industry wants to stay current and be innovative.
Technical achievements highlighted by Varma
Varma said Aditya Dhar didn’t just make a film, he ‘weaponised cinema’ with a combination of fast-paced action and real emotion. He specifically mentioned the film being broken into chapters, the use of real (rather than computer-generated) effects, the sound, and how quickly the movie is edited as being particularly good.
Even though the movie is almost four hours long, Varma says it doesn’t feel slow because it’s always moving forward. He praised Ranveer Singh for a complex and powerful performance and R. Madhavan for being controlled and subtle, saying both were examples of excellent acting choices.
Industry reactions and selective praise
A few well-known people in the industry have publicly said good things about the film and Ranveer Singh’s performance, but Varma is confused by the lack of wider praise. He thinks those in the industry are downplaying how well Dhurandhar did to avoid thinking about their own work, or to stick with the familiar ways of doing things that have worked for them in the past.
Varma says that ignoring a film which sets a new standard could be a big mistake. He likened it to a ‘dinosaur breathing fire’ and told his colleagues to actually learn from it, rather than going back to making safe, repeated kinds of films.
Lessons for filmmakers and film students
Varma even said that film school students would get more out of seeing Dhurandhar in a cinema instead of their usual classes. He described it as a ‘completely new filmmaking course’ with real lessons on how to make a large scale film, the details of filmmaking and keeping the audience interested.
His message to filmmakers who are already working is very direct: change or you’ll become old-fashioned. Varma wants them to carefully examine the way the story is told, the effects, and how the audience reacts, because the industry has to develop to reach the new level set by films which are both successful financially and technically.
Ram Gopal Varma’s comments are both a compliment and a way of challenging people. He wants his colleagues to openly respond and change how they work, and he hopes Dhurandhar The Revenge will be used as a detailed example to help decide what mainstream cinema will be like in the future.
