Ranveer Singh and Aditya Dhar`s Dhurandhar saga has become the country`s first franchise to earn Rs 3,000 crore worldwide. The first part, Dhurandhar, which released in December 2025, grossed Rs 1,300 crore, while its sequel, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, went on to mint Rs 1,700 crore after it released in theatres in March 2026 and is still going strong. However, filmmaker Kunal Kohli recently made shocking revelations about how the industry reacted to the film, claiming that “the biggest directors” in Bollywood wanted the film to flop at the box office.
Kunal Kohli on the industry`s lack of support for Dhurandhar
Talking to Indian Express Screen, Kunal said, “Even when the industry doesn’t support a film, the film still works. Nobody supported Dhurandhar. The biggest directors I spoke to on the phone, they said, `Monday ko baith jayegi.` Monday ko aur chal gayi.”
The Fanaa director shared that the industry did not even expect Sunny Deol`s Border 2 to succeed. He added, “Nobody supported Border 2. People said second week mei thoda baith gayi. It’s done Rs 300 crore plus! What are you saying?! That’s a blockbuster. End of discussion. It doesn’t matter if the industry supports you or not.”
Kunal Kohli on Hum Tum
Kunal recalled that people in the industry had the same reaction to his 2004 romantic comedy Hum Tum, which starred Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukerji. “It was exactly the same two decades ago. Hum Tum had a preview show on Thursday night. Adi (Aditya Chopra, producer) told me not to go because the industry people going for it wouldn`t get the film. But I still went for it, and the people there didn`t like the film. I was so depressed I called up Adi. He said, `I asked you to not go because I know it`s not their type of film.` So, 99% of the people in the industry don’t want you to succeed”, the filmmaker recalled.
Notably, Kohli made his directorial debut with Mujhse Dosti Karoge! starring Rakesh Roshan`s son Hrithik Roshan, which unfortunately flopped. The director shared how Rakesh was the first one to inform him that Hum Tum had turned out to be a hit later. He added, “It took time for the film to settle down and get accepted. On Monday at 1 pm, Adi, I, and Rani were sitting in the office, still wondering if it’s going to drop or hold on Monday. Mr. Rakesh Roshan called me and said, `Kunal, your film is houseful in the 12:30 pm show on Monday in Indore! The biggest of big films fail to do that. Congratulations, your film is a big hit`.”
