Aditya Dhar: Dhurandhar team worked 16-18 hours continuously for 1.5 years

Aditya Dhar praised his Dhurandhar team for working 16–18 hour shifts for over a year without complaints. At the trailer launch, he and Ranveer Singh spoke about the film’s passion-driven effort and its ambition to compete on a global scale

Aditya Dhar praises Dhurandhar team: 'We worked 16–18 hours continuously, no one complained'

Ranveer Singh and Aditya Dhar

Aditya Dhar is all set for the release of his next film Dhurandhar. The trailer of the film starring Ranveer Singh in the lead was unveiled on Tuesday at a grand event. At the launch, Dhar praised his team's dedication and lauded them for never complaining about the long shooting hours. His comments come amidst a work-hour debate in the film industry that emerged after Deepika Padukone walked out of Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s film for reportedly demanding 8-hour shifts.

Aditya Dhar on working hours

Speaking at the launch in the presence of Ranveer Singh, husband of Deepika Padukone, Dhar said, “We have worked 16–18 hours continuously for 1.5 years. Yet, not once did anyone complain about the workload. Everybody has given their 100 per cent, including Ranveer Singh.”

The director further shared that every member of the Dhurandhar team put their heart and soul into the project, and this level of commitment doesn't come by often. “Sometimes people take on a movie because the money is good, while at other times they do it for prestige. This project, in contrast, was crafted with absolute pure intent,” he said.

Aditya Dhar made his directorial debut with the 2019 film Uri: The Surgical Strike starring Vicky Kaushal. He returns to directing after six years. Ranveer said the filmmaker is “absolutely unflinching and uncompromising in his vision and execution.” He added, “He never settles for anything less than what he’s dreamed of. What he’s created with Dhurandhar is an absolutely unprecedented work of cinema.”

About the Dhurandhar trailer

The four-minute-and-eight-second trailer introduces all key characters one after another. It opens with a brutal torture scene featuring Arjun Rampal as Major Iqbal, aka the “Angel of Death,” who vows to “bleed India with a thousand cuts.”

R. Madhavan appears as Indian spymaster Sanyal, who believes that entering enemy territory is the only way to stop the threat. Akshaye Khanna plays Rehman Dakait, a sharp and dangerous figure, while Sanjay Dutt joins the villain lineup as SP Chaudhary Aslam. Later in the trailer, Ranveer Singh enters as the man tasked with countering them. The rest is packed with action sequences, gunfire and fast-paced shots.

Take a look at the trailer:

Ranveer: 'Raw, gritty and unapologetically Indian'

Speaking about the film, Ranveer Singh said in a press note, “We wanted to create a feature presentation that’s at par with any film in the world. Our attempt was to level up every aspect of the cinematic process to create a film that we as Indians can be proud of.”

“It’s raw, gritty and unapologetically Indian. Aditya has pitched it perfectly. It’s an incredible and complex story, with world-class technical execution and intense performances. We wanted to make an unapologetically Indian film that ranks among the most elite globally. I believe it is India’s moment to shine on the global stage—and we aim to be at the heart of that moment while staying true to our roots,” he added.