The unprecedented success of Dhurandhar The Revenge has ignited a fiery debate within Bollywood, exposing underlying tensions and prompting discussions about star power, and the evolving landscape of the Indian film industry.
Key Points
- Comedian Zakir Khan's joke about Dhurandhar 2's success has sparked a debate about jealousy and artistic contribution within Bollywood.
- War Director Siddharth Anand defended Bollywood's established stars, highlighting their historical box office success in response to Dhurandhar 2's triumph.
- The muted reaction from Bollywood's biggest names, including Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan, to Dhurandhar 2's success has fuelled speculation about underlying tensions.
- Ameesha Patel's defence of established Bollywood stars drew criticism online.
A light-hearted joke at the recent Chetak Screen Awards 2026 by host Zakir Khan has ignited a fiery debate within the Bollywood fraternity, stirring questions about jealousy and artistic contribution in the wake of the unprecedented success of the Dhurandhar movies.
Khan's quip, suggesting that the entire Mumbai film industry was feeling the heat from Dhurandhar's triumph, used a vivid analogy: 'Bombs went off in Liyari in the film, but smoke was coming out from Bandra to Juhu.'
This pointed reference highlighted the concentration of Bollywood's biggest stars and production houses in these affluent Mumbai suburbs, including luminaries like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Ranbir Kapoor and the top brass at Yash Raj Studios.
Biggest Bollywood names quiet about Dhurandhar
Filmmaker Siddharth Anand, known for blockbusters like War and Pathaan, took to X to defend the established order, and asserted, 'Juhu-Bandra peeps have given all time blockbusters (ATBBs) since the past 50 years. You have to be a real duffer to undermine their contribution.'
The Dhurandhar movies have shattered box office records, prompting a re-evaluation of what constitutes a 'blockbuster'.
While Aamir Khan's Dangal reigns supreme with a global collection of Rs 2,000 crore (Rs 20 billion), surpassing Dhurandhar 2's Rs 1,628.4 crore (Rs 16.28 billion) worldwide, the domestic figures tell a different story.
Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar 2 are the highest-grossing Indian films at the domestic box office, followed by Shah Rukh Khan's Jawan.
Intriguingly, the biggest names of the industry have largely stayed quiet about the success of Dhurandhar.
Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan have been silent regarding Dhurandhar's monumental success.
Aamir Khan offered a more diplomatic take, stating, 'I have not seen the film yet but I hear praises. Dhurandhar and now Dhurandhar 2 have done exceptionally well.'
Industry Reactions and Online Backlash
Ameesha Patel seemed upset with Zakir's Khan's jibe too, and posted on X: 'DUDE-Stop spreading NEGATIVITY! film industry has valued n respected DHURANDHAR! Superstars like SRK, SALMAN, SUNNY, HRITHIK, AJAY et have given not just 1 but 25 plus mega hits n will continue to do so CHILL-GADAR bahut saalon se sabne already machai hain aur aage bhi machaayenge.'
Patel's defence quickly drew the ire of online trolls.
One user retorted, 'No one is denying the superstars you mentioned however Dhurandhar just showed how its rightly done. And yes it certainly puts these so called superstars to shame including your Gadar. Sit your time is way over lady.'
Another user chimed in, 'Burnol moment. Zakir Khan's audacity and aura are way bigger than yours. He spoke the absolute truth. Gadar also ran because of Sunny Deol and the anti-Pakistan angle, and even back then, Gadar didn't have any support. Bollywood was brought down by exactly those whose names were mentioned.'
Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta weighed in: 'Why are we not learning our lessons? We may not know what works anymore but we definitely know what doesn't. And yet.'
The Dhurandhar 2 phenomenon has clearly struck a nerve, exposing underlying tensions and prompting a vital conversation about star power, and the evolving landscape of Bollywood.
Photograph curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff
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