Post the success of ‘Dhurandhar’, Aditya Dhar has been getting a lot of love. His previous release ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’ also did well at the box office, but his journey in the film industry was far from easy. Before finding success as a director, Dhar spent years struggling and even faced disappointments early in his career.
In a recent conversation, veteran filmmaker Priyadarshan, who worked closely with Dhar in the past — recalled how the young filmmaker had gone through several setbacks before establishing himself. Dhar worked as Priyadarshan’s assistant director for nearly three years in the early 2010s. Reflecting on their collaboration, Priyadarshan said that it is difficult to predict anyone’s future in the industry. “When Aditya was working with me, he was also writing dialogues so for three years, I think, we worked together. I was always positive about him because he had a wonderful language. That was his biggest asset at that time,” Priyadarshan said in an interview with Mashable India.
The veteran director also revealed that Dhar approached him during a particularly discouraging phase in his life. According to Priyadarshan, Dhar had written scripts for a few projects but did not receive proper credit for them.
“He came to me when he was very disappointed with a few films which actually he penned, but he never got the credit,” Priyadarshan shared.
Interestingly, Dhar’s early ambitions were not limited to filmmaking. Priyadarshan revealed that the future director had once pursued cricket seriously and was close to being selected for the Under-19 team, but circumstances prevented it.
“He was a cricketer but he could not get into the Under-19 team because of some political influence so he was moved out. He was very disappointed sitting at home. Someone called him to see a film, and that was Gardish. He said he saw Gardish and said, ‘This is something I want to do and I came to Mumbai’.”
Dhar eventually achieved his breakthrough with Uri: The Surgical Strike. Speaking to SCREEN after the film’s success in 2019, the director reflected on the long wait before his big moment arrived.
“2019 has been my most rewarding year till date. After years of struggling through many projects that got shelved for some reason, the wait turned out to be worthwhile and gratifying. Uri not only found its way into the hearts of millions across the country but also evoked a sense of patriotism in people across generations. That was the proudest moment for me.”
Following the success of Dhurandhar, Priyadarshan congratulated his former assistant with a heartfelt post on Instagram. Sharing a throwback picture from the sets of Tezz, the veteran filmmaker wrote, “There is no greater happiness than watching my disciple rise with such remarkable success. Congratulations Aditya Dhar on Dhurandhar, and heartfelt best wishes for Dhurandhar 2.”
Dhar responded emotionally to the message, expressing deep gratitude for his mentor.
“My Dearest Priyan Sir… this means more to me than I can ever put into words!! You believed in me when I was a nobody, and when all I had was conviction and a few written pages. You treated me like an equal, and gave me something far more precious than just work – dignity, trust, and love… In an industry where I often learnt what not to do, you taught me exactly what to do, not just as a filmmaker, but as a human being.”
Dhar also revealed that he had written the dialogues for Priyadarshan’s films Aakrosh and Tezz, adding that his mentor’s influence shaped his journey as a filmmaker.
“I will forever be your student first. Thank you for everything, Sir. This success is as much yours as it is mine,” he wrote.
Dhar’s upcoming film Dhurandhar: The Revenge is scheduled to hit theatres on March 19, while Priyadarshan’s next directorial venture Bhooth Bangla is set for release on April 10.
