Ram Gopal Varma has ignited a fresh debate in the Indian film industry with his recent remarks concerning Aditya Dhar's "Dhurandhar," a film starring Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna. Varma, known for his bold and often controversial statements, suggests that the film's groundbreaking success is something a significant portion of Bollywood will actively try to "ignore" because they feel threatened.
According to Varma, "Dhurandhar" resembles a horror film for creators “who lack the capability to produce a film with such brilliance, intelligence, integrity, and craftsmanship". He believes this is especially true for the "so-called pan-India blockbusters" currently in production, which he says were conceived and developed based on outdated formulas. Varma has criticized those formulaic movies that depend on hero worship, item numbers, and visual effects.
Varma's comments, made publically on X, formerly known as Twitter, have sparked considerable discussion within the industry. He argues that "Dhurandhar's" success isn't merely due to patriotism, dismissing the notion that the film's appeal is solely based on nationalistic sentiments. He equates attributing the film's success to patriotism as akin to saying "the empathy for Ramgarh villagers made Sholay work". Instead, he credits director Aditya Dhar for crafting an unprecedented cinematic experience, describing it as a "never-before-experienced fantastic, exciting, and intriguing thriller entertainer".
He lauded Ranveer Singh for his willingness to step back and allow Akshaye Khanna to take the forefront, which he sees as a testament to Singh's understanding of cinema and the story's requirements. Varma also praised the film's action, background score, and the way it trusts the audience's intelligence by avoiding "spoon-feeding" and "emotional underlining". He stated that meaning is discovered, not delivered, in "Dhurandhar".
Furthermore, Varma sees "Dhurandhar" as a "quantum leap" in Indian cinema and a "WARNING to the film industry to GROW UP". He believes that Aditya Dhar has "completely and single-handedly changed the future of Indian cinema, be it north or south". According to Varma, Dhar doesn't just direct scenes but "engineers the states of minds of both the characters and us audience".
Varma's outspoken views come at a time when he is also making waves for his embrace of AI in music production. He has announced that he will be abandoning human musicians and switching to AI-generated music for all his future projects, under his new venture RGV Den Music. He argues that AI offers a faster, cheaper, and more efficient alternative to traditional composers. The director revealed that the entire background score of his upcoming film Saree is AI-generated.
While "Dhurandhar" has reportedly grossed over 900 crore worldwide, and some have called it a game-changer, Varma anticipates a degree of resistance from an industry clinging to established formulas. He likens "Dhurandhar" to "that fearsome dog that will be invisibly roaming around in every production office where the upcoming blockbusters are being developed," suggesting its influence will be unavoidable, even if unacknowledged.
