Aditya Dhar and Ranveer Singh‘s Dhurandhar became a major box-office success, breaking several records and establishing itself as one of the highest-grossing Indian film franchises. However, before its release, the film faced criticism over its marketing strategy, with some fans expressing disappointment over the lack of buzz. In a conversation with the Everyday Empires podcast, Varun Gupta, founder of Max Marketing, the agency behind the promotional campaigns for Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar: The Revenge, revealed why Ranveer did not promote the film and recalled Aditya’s reaction to the criticism before its release.
Varun Gupta on Dhurandhar’s marketing strategy
Varun said he could not recall any Hindi film releasing a 3.5-minute-long promotional asset six months before its release prior to Dhurandhar. He added that while such a practice was common in Hollywood, it had not been seen in Hindi cinema. He also revealed that his team came on board for Dhurandhar even before the star cast was finalised and heard the script at that stage.
He said that while the film is now being hailed as a major success, the team faced criticism before its release, with people questioning its marketing, promotions and lack of buzz.
He said, “There were times when articles would come out saying the promotions were bad and there was no buzz. Aditya would just send them to me and say, ‘It’s all okay.’ There were no questions asked. That kind of trust makes you want to do anything for them. You become their warriors. I’m happy the film worked because everyone put a lot into it. But Aditya and Ranveer Singh, specifically, put in a lot beyond what they should have as a director and an actor. I’m happy for everyone associated with it.”
Varun also spoke about the alleged paid smear campaigns targeting films ahead of their release. He said that when a film starring a particular actor is about to release, certain sections unnecessarily criticise it. He pointed out that filmmakers face criticism regardless of whether they take the lead actor out for promotions. If the actor participates in promotional activities, people question why such a big star needs to promote the film and argue that newer actors would attract more attention. However, if the actor does not participate, people claim that the makers are promoting the film without generating enough buzz.
Why Ranveer Singh did not promote Dhurandhar
Varun also explained why Ranveer did not promote Dhurandhar, contrasting the decision with Ranbir Kapoor’s promotional activities for Animal.
He said, “Ranbir had Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar before Animal released, Ranveer Singh had not had a great run before Dhurandhar. There was a very conscious decision between us, the director, the producer and the actor. We were like, ‘Okay, let the film and its assets talk. Let the actors not talk.'”
Varun’s company has previously worked on promotional campaigns for films such as RRR, Animal, Kalki 2898 AD and Chandu Champion. It is also associated with SS Rajamouli’s upcoming film Varanasi, starring Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra and Prithviraj Sukumaran in lead roles.
About Dhurandhar’s success
The two-part Dhurandhar franchise made a major impact at the box office. The first film, Dhurandhar, was released in December 2025 and featured Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, Rakesh Bedi, Sara Arjun, R Madhavan and Sanjay Dutt in key roles. The film collected over ₹1,300 crore worldwide.
Three months later, in March 2026, Dhurandhar: The Revenge was released amid considerable hype and high expectations, which it went on to meet at the box office. The film became the highest-grossing release of 2026 and the first Indian film to earn ₹1,000 crore at the domestic box office. It collected over ₹1,800 crore worldwide, placing it behind Dangal among the highest-grossing Indian films of all time.
