Dhurandhar: A spy thriller marks the return of the Bollywood blockbuster

Mar 25, 2026 · 1288 words · By Sudha G Tilak

📰 Original article: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cpwj8nxey7eo?at_medium=RSS&at_campaign=rss

Analysis Summary

Propaganda Score: 40% (confidence: 95%)

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“By the end of 2025, the spy thriller hadn't just topped the box office - it had blown it open, grossing about $155m (£116.34m) worldwide and ranking among Hindi-language cinema's biggest hits.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to confirm or refute box office gross figures for Dhurandhar by 2025.

“In February, India's largest multiplex operator PVR Inox reported footfalls rose nearly 9% year-on-year in the quarter to December, powered by Dhurandhar, whose record run helped lift the chain's overall box-office collections 13% last year.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to verify PVR Inox footfall statistics or their attribution to Dhurandhar.

“More than 1.5 million tickets were snapped up in advance across five languages - early proof of a frenzy few films command.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to confirm advance ticket sales figures for Dhurandhar across languages.

“The original three-hour-34-minute Dhurandhar delivered a high-octane mix of espionage, gang wars and patriotic fervour.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to verify the runtime of the original Dhurandhar film.

“Dhurandhar: The Revenge picks up from that cliffhanger, deepening a long-running Indian intelligence operation inside Karachi's criminal and political underworld.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to confirm plot continuity between Dhurandhar and its sequel.

“Shot back-to-back with the first film and released just three months later, the near four-hour-long sequel sees Singh joined by R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt and Sara Arjun.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to verify filming schedule or cast details for Dhurandhar: The Revenge.

“The film also loosely draws on real South Asian flashpoints - from Pakistan's 'Operation Lyari' to India's demonetisation - blending geopolitics into its storyline.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to confirm references to real South Asian events in Dhurandhar: The Revenge.

“Finland's President Alexander Stubb sparked chatter online after casually name-checking Dhurandhar while running through Hyde Park with Canadian PM Mark Carney.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to verify Finland's President Stubb mentioning Dhurandhar during a jog.

“French President Emmanuel Macron capped his India visit with a video on X set to the title track of Dhurandhar.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to confirm Macron's use of Dhurandhar's title track during his India visit.

“Dhurandhar: The Revenge is compared to the 1975 Bollywood film Sholay in terms of its cultural and commercial impact.”

❓ INSUFFICIENT EVIDENCE — No evidence found in archive to verify comparisons between Dhurandhar: The Revenge and Sholay.