Aditya Dhar says he is ‘overwhelmed’ after RGV raves about Dhurandhar, reveals he came to Mumbai to work under him

Ram Gopal Varma called Dhurandhar a ‘quantum leap’ for Indian cinema. The film stars Ranveer Singh, R Madhavan and Akshaye Khanna.

Aditya Dhar is on cloud nine after the massive success of his latest directorial, Dhurandhar. The spy thriller was released in theatres on December 5 and has shattered records at the box office. Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma shared his review on the film and called it a ‘quantum leap’ for Indian cinema. Now Aditya Dhar has responded to his praise and said that RGV's films have been inspirational to him.

Aditya Dhar has reacted to the glowing review of Dhurandhar shared by Ram Gopal Varma.

‘Whatever I do next has to live up to this tweet’

In his post on X, RGV wrote, “I believe that @AdityaDharFilms has completely and single handedly changed the future of Indian cinema , be it north or south ..That’s because Duradhar is not just a film.. it is a quantum leap.”

In response, Aditya said, “Sir… If this tweet were a film, I would have gone to watch it first day first show, stood in the last row, and come out changed. I came to Mumbai years ago carrying one suitcase, one dream, and an unreasonable belief that I would one day work under Ram Gopal Verma. That never happened. But somewhere along the way, without knowing it, I worked inside your cinema. Your films didn’t teach me how to make movies — they taught me how to think dangerously.”

He added, “To have you say that Dhurandhar is a quantum leap feels surreal, emotional, and honestly a little unfair… because now whatever I do next has to live up to this tweet.”

The post read, “You were one of my favourite directors who made Indian cinema feel fearless, impolite, and alive. If Dhurandhar has even a fraction of that DNA, it’s because your films whispered (sometimes screamed) in my head while I was writing and directing it.”

"If I’ve assumed the audience is intelligent, it’s because you taught an entire generation that cinema should never apologize for its ambition. Thank you for this generosity, this madness, and this validation. The fan in me is overwhelmed. The filmmaker in me feels challenged. And the boy who came to Mumbai to work under RGV… finally feels seen," he concluded.

About Dhurandhar

Dhurandhar follows the story of an Indian spy named Hamza who deeply infiltrates Pakistan to join Rehman Dakait's gang. The film is inspired by real-life events, ranging from the 2001 Parliament attack and the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, offering audiences an insight into the India-Pakistan conflict.

Written, directed and co-produced by Aditya Dhar, it stars Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, Sara Arjun and Rakesh Bedi in lead roles. The film also stars Manav Gohil, Danish Pandor, Saumya Tandon, Gaurav Gera and Naveen Kaushik in supporting roles.