Actor R Madhavan observed that the traditional era of films centred on India–Pakistan conflicts and freedom struggles has likely reached its conclusion ahead of Dhurandhar: The Revenge release. Highlighting the immense power of the film’s content, Madhavan mentioned that fans from the UAE (where the film is banned), will travel to India on March 19, 2026, for a theatrical experience.
The actor, in an interview with Sonia Shenoy, for her YouTube channel, said that storytelling based on India-Pakistan will reach its peak after Dhurandhar’s sequel as the younger audience “doesn’t even want that anymore.”
He said, “Traditionally, we’ve been making movies around the India – Pakistan war or our freedom struggle. That has been our action space and our core go-to in terms of storytelling. But the younger generation doesn’t even want that anymore. They’re like samajh gaya main, kitni baar bologe? (I’ve understood it, how many times will you say it?) And I think after Dhurandhar, that whole India – Pakistan thing is going to go. That’s the full stop now.”
While emphasising the extraordinary craze surrounding the espionage thriller in the UAE, where it was banned, the actor added, “If you look at Dhurandhar, people from Dubai actually flew down, for one day, to watch the film and then flew back. That is the power of good content.” Additionally, he said that a similar pattern is anticipated for the sequel, set for a March 19 theatrical release.
“Now they’re planning their business meetings around March 19 when Dhurandhar: The Revenge is releasing, they’ll go there for meetings, watch the film, and then return, as it’s banned in the UAE. For them, it would be so easy to just watch it on IPTV, okay? And I’m sure they could. But they want to experience watching a film like Dhurandhar in a theatre full of people. That gives you a community experience. Cinema allows that. Watching the same film alone at home feels completely different. It’s like performing dandiya in front of the TV. Dandiya is something you go out and play on the ground, with people around you,” the 55-year-old concluded.
Dhurandhar: The Revenge is directed by Aditya Dhar and produced by Jyoti Deshpande, Aditya Dhar and Lokesh Dhar under Jio Studios and B62 Studios. The film serves as the direct sequel to Dhurandhar (2025) and concludes the two-part franchise.
The film’s release strategically coincides with Eid, Gudi Padwa, and Ugadi. It will be released in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam, marking a calculated pan-India expansion driven by massive demand across South India.
