‘You believed when I was nobody’: Dhurandhar director Aditya Dhar’s emotional reply to Priyadarshan

Veteran filmmaker Priyadarshan publicly expressed pride in the box office triumph of Dhurandhar on Wednesday, calling director Aditya Dhar his "disciple" and congratulating him on the film's record-breaking run. The emotional exchange between mentor and student highlighted their enduring bond as the spy thriller continues dominating Indian cinemas.

"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," Priyadarshan wrote on Instagram, sharing a throwback photograph from the sets of Tezz. The post came as Dhurandhar officially became the highest-grossing Hindi film of all time in India, surpassing Pushpa 2: The Rule's Hindi version.

Emotional Response from Protégé

Aditya Dhar responded with a lengthy, heartfelt comment that revealed the depth of their relationship. "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," Dhar wrote. "You treated me like an equal, and gave me something far more precious than just work – dignity, trust, and love."

The director, who worked as a dialogue writer on Priyadarshan's films Aakrosh and Tezz before making his directorial debut with Uri: The Surgical Strike, credited every step of his journey to his mentor's influence. "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 added.

Box Office Dominance

Dhurandhar, starring Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna, has collected over Rs 790 crore in India since its December 5 release. The film earned Rs 831.40 crore net domestically by day 34, officially dethroning Pushpa 2's Hindi version as the highest-grossing Hindi film ever. Globally, the spy thriller has amassed approximately Rs 1,222 crore.

The sequel, Dhurandhar 2, is scheduled for release on March 19, 2026, coinciding with Eid. Unlike the first instalment's Hindi-only release, the sequel will debut simultaneously in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam, marking a pan-India expansion.