Dhurandhar left Vivek Agnihotri ‘mind blown, proud’, praises Aditya Dhar for ‘raising the bar’: ‘This kind of cinema doesn’t happen by chance’

Ranveer Singh’s Dhuranhdar has emerged as one of the highest grossing Indian films of all time. Along with other industry peers, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri also heaped praises on Aditya Dhar’s spy-thriller drama. saying he was ‘mind blown’ and ‘proud’ of the film in his latest tweet, he expressed admiration for the director’s vision and execution.

Taking to his X handle, Vivek gave a detailed first reaction after watching Dhurandhar post his return to India recently. “Just landed back in India after two months and the first thing we did was watch @AdityaDharFilms Dhurandhar. Mind blown and proud are the only words that come to my mind. Anyone who knows what goes into making a film would understand what it takes to pull something like this off. The vision, the writing, the confidence, the belief in your own instinct… this kind of cinema doesn’t happen by chance.”

The filmmaker then mentioned a few technicians who worked tirelessly on the film. “The production design by my friend @sainisjohray is pathbreaking, not decorative, but narrative. The extraordinary music by young maestro @shashwatology is not just innovative but deeply rooted. The cinematography by Vikas Nowlakha is a new textbook for young DOPs.”

Praising the performances and intent of the film, he further added, “Performances… yes, some will obviously be more talked about. But the real victory of Dhurandhar is that even the smallest, most insignificant characters have delivered top-notch performances. Every face feels cast, directed, and placed with intention. Most importantly, every department is in rare sync, working as one organism. That kind of cohesion doesn’t happen by accident. That’s when you know it’s purely a writer/director’s film.”

Just landed back in India after two months and the first thing we did was watch @AdityaDharFilms Dhurandhar.

Mind blown and proud are the only words that come to my mind.

— Vivek Ranjan Agnihotri (@vivekagnihotri) January 5, 2026

Vivek Agnihotri was most impressed by Aditya Dhar’s work, particularly his sense of scale and design. “@adityadharfilms, I’ve always admired your work, especially your sense of scale and design, but this is you operating on another level. I watched the film with genuine pride… proud of you, proud of the craft, proud of Indian cinema. You are blessed. Truly. God’s own child. More power to you. Keep going. Keep raising the bar. When the younger generation does work like this, Indian cinema moves forward. Simple. Bravo!” he concluded.

Earlier, director Anurag Kashyap had also appreciated the blockbuster film Dhurandhar, while mentioning the two things he didn’t like and also reflecting on the film’s politics. “A spy cannot be a spy if he doesn’t have hate and angst against the enemy state. A soldier also cannot be a soldier if he doesn’t have angst against the enemy state. On those two counts, I have no issues,” he wrote in his review on Letterboxd.

“I have two sequences that I have a problem with. Madhavan saying — ‘Ek din aisa ayega jab jo bff desh ke baare mein koi sochega’ — and another at the end when Ranveer says, ‘Yeh naya India hai.’ Take those two aside, it’s a good film. In fact, a brilliant film that is entirely set in Pakistan,” he added.

Talking about the film, Dhurandhar also starred Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, R. Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt, Rakesh Bedi, Sara Arjun, and Danish Pandor. The sequel, Dhurandhar 2, has already been announced and is set to hit the theatres on March 19, 2026. The film has become the fifth Indian film to cross the Rs 1200 crore mark at the box office worldwide.