‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’, directed by Aditya Dhar, has set a record by crossing the ₹1,400 crore mark at the box office, which was not possible for any Hindi film before today (without the China market). But amidst this tremendous success, one question is echoing in the entire film industry – why is Bollywood silent on this biggest victory of its own house?
South made ‘Dhurandhar 2’ its own: ‘Baap of Box Office’
The surprising thing is that while the big stars of Mumbai are maintaining silence, South Indian cinema (Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada) has given this film a thumbs up.
Praising veterans: Superstar Rajinikanth declared Aditya Dhar the ‘Father of Box Office’, while S.S. Rajamouli described Ranveer Singh’s performance as ‘a great example of acting’.
Wave of support: Veterans like Kamal Haasan, Ram Charan, Allu Arjun, Mahesh Babu and Nagarjuna have publicly praised the film.
Record breaking earnings: According to trade experts, the film has earned more than ₹200 crore nett in five southern states, which is a new record for any film with a pure Bollywood team.
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Bollywood’s ‘cold’ reaction: Fear, jealousy or ideology?
Despite this tsunami of films, there has been a famine of congratulatory messages from the ‘A-listers’ of Hindi cinema.
Silent Big Stars: The ‘Khan trio’ namely Shahrukh Khan, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan have not yet made any public comment on the film. Although Karan Johar, Akshay Kumar and Alia Bhatt have praised the film, a large section of the industry is still maintaining a ‘cautious distance’.
Lack of unity in the industry: Filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar expressed his displeasure over this and said, “There is a lack of unity in our industry. When a film does so well, everyone from the spot boy to the technician benefits from it. We should praise with an open heart.”
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What is the real reason behind this silence?
There are three main reasons being cited behind this silence by experts and on social media:
Ideology: ‘Dhurandhar 2’ has been accused of glorifying the current government and the Prime Minister. Some critics are calling it ‘propaganda’. A large section of Bollywood often avoids commenting on such controversially debated films.
Feeling of insecurity: Ram Gopal Varma has named it ‘fear’ and ‘jealousy’. He believes that the unimaginable success of the film has shaken the old equations of Bollywood.
Changed round: Priyadarshan has compared the impact of this film with ‘Sholay’. Perhaps a section of Bollywood is still not mentally ready to accept this new ‘Dhurandhar era’.
Conclusion: Will silence prove anything?
In an age of social media, where small achievements are celebrated, silence on a ₹1,400 crore blockbuster is indeed unusual. The adoption of this film by South Indian stars shows that now the language of cinema has become not ‘regional’ but ‘content’ based. This silence of big Bollywood stars can only distance them from the mainstream public’s liking.