Dhurandhar: Bollywood Spy Thriller – A Blockbuster Comeback

The sequel to the Bollywood spy thriller Dhurandhar, titled Dhurandhar: The Revenge, opened to record demand in India last week, with over 1.5 million tickets sold in advance across five languages, according to film trade analyst Taran Adarsh.

The original Dhurandhar, released in December 2025, grossed approximately $155 million (roughly £116.34 million) worldwide, becoming one of the highest-grossing films in Hindi cinema history. The success of the first installment spurred a nearly 9% year-on-year increase in footfalls at PVR Inox, India’s largest multiplex operator, during the quarter ending December 2025, with overall box-office collections rising 13% for the year.

Directed by Aditya Dhar, Dhurandhar stars Ranveer Singh as an undercover Indian intelligence agent infiltrating criminal and political structures in Karachi, Pakistan, in an attempt to dismantle a terror network targeting India. The film also features Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, R. Madhavan, Sara Arjun, Rakesh Bedi, Gaurav Gera, and Danish Pandor. The storyline reportedly draws inspiration from real-life geopolitical events, including the 1999 IC-814 hijacking, the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and developments related to Pakistan’s Operation Lyari.

Dhurandhar: The Revenge, at nearly four hours in length, is described as “bigger, louder and more indulgent” than the original. Cineplexes across India are reportedly scheduling up to three dozen showings daily, running from early morning to late at night to meet demand. The first film in the series, Dhurandhar, was released on Netflix in January 2026.

The original Dhurandhar, a 214-minute spy action thriller, was produced by Jyoti Deshpande, Aditya Dhar, and Lokesh Dhar, under Jio Studios and B62 Studios. The film’s budget, combined with the sequel, was estimated at ₹250–300 crore.