How A Doomed Dream To Make India's Biggest Film Kept Aditya Dhar Away From Direction For Six Years After Blockbuster Debut

Hyderabad: Ranveer Singh starrer Dhurandhar is all set to hit big screens on December 5. The film is said to cap the year on a high note. At the helm of this action thriller is Aditya Dhar, who not only directs but also writes and produces the film. Presented by Jio Studios, Dhurandhar is jointly bankrolled by Jyoti Deshpande and B62 Studios, a banner founded by brothers Aditya and Lokesh Dhar.

With Dhurandhar, Aditya returns to the director's chair after a six-year-long hiatus. His debut film, Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019), was both a critical and commercial blockbuster. The film went on to become a blockbuster with collections of Rs 341.75 worldwide and Rs 244.14 crore net in India. The film was a defining project for Dhar on a professional and personal level. He won the National Film Award for Best Director, and Vicky Kaushal took home the Best Actor award. Aditya finding a life partner in Uri's leading lady, Yami Gautam, was a beautiful finale to a film that gave him many reasons to celebrate.

So, after such massive success, what kept Aditya away from direction for so long?

Born in Delhi with roots in Kashmir, Dhar was aiming for an even bigger follow-up after Uri. He had announced The Immortal Ashwatthama in 2021, reuniting with Uri producer Ronnie Screwvala’s RSVP Movies and Vicky Kaushal. Billed as one of India’s most ambitious projects ever, the film was envisioned as a grand-scale superhero epic. Vicky underwent intense preparation, and Aditya devoted years to pre-production. Yet, despite the buzz and anticipation, the project was eventually shelved.

During promotions for the 2024 released Article 370, a film he co-wrote and produced, Aditya opened up about what went wrong.

“We’ve put that on the back burner for now,” he admitted. “The kind of vision we had was too big for Indian cinema at this point. The level of VFX quality we were aiming for hasn’t been attempted here yet. Until technology becomes more affordable and cinema infrastructure grows, we’ll have to wait.”

Citing James Cameron as inspiration, he added,

“Even Cameron waited for the market and technology to evolve. I’m, of course, not him, but if we’re striving for excellence, there can’t be mediocrity. I can’t make a film just for the heck of it. Even if it takes five years of my prime, the film has to be brilliant.”

Reportedly, Aditya had envisioned The Immortal Ashwatthama with a staggering Rs 500 crore budget. During two years of preparation, RSVP allegedly spent over Rs 30 crore on development. However, creative differences reportedly emerged between Dhar and Screwvala. The project later moved to Jio Studios, but they too eventually backed out, leading to the film being shelved indefinitely.

Interestingly, last year Shahid Kapoor announced Ashwatthama: The Saga Continues under Vashu Bhagnani’s Pooja Entertainment banner, but that too remains in limbo.

Now, Dhar is back with Dhurandhar, which seems to have reignited excitement among audiences. The film’s promotional assets have received massive traction. The first look, released on Ranveer Singh’s birthday, racked up nearly 60 million views on YouTube, while the title track crossed 20 million views within two weeks. The ensemble cast also includes Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan, and Arjun Rampal in key roles.

As Yami Gautam said in a recent interview, "We’re in for a very special year-end." Whether her prediction holds true and josh remains high, only time will tell.

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