Dhurandhar Pioneers New Franchise Culture in Bollywood with Simultaneous Filming

In an industry where sequels typically arrive years later—diluted, disconnected, and chasing the ghost of the original—Dhurandhar 2wishes to go beyond and attempts to make a difference with its craft. The cliffhanger isn’t pretentious or provocative but poignant. Ranveer Singh, the chameleon he is, allows the other actors in the ensemble to take centre stage and morph with others in the background. And for those yearning for his presence will get to see the whole of the mammoth iceberg when the second part blazes the celluloid on March 19 next year. _Dhurandhar Part 1 and Part 2_were shot back-to-back. As one continuous production. Same cast, same crew, same creative momentum. Then split for release. It’s the first time a big-budget, mainstream Hindi film has attempted this at scale. And if it works the way we believe it will, it could reshape how Bollywood thinks about franchises entirely. This isn’t uncharted territory worldwide. Tarantino shotKill Billas one film, then split it into Volume 1 and Volume 2.Pirates of the Caribbeanlocked in cast and crew for back-to-back shoots. TheMatrixsequels embraced parallel production to preserve creative coherence. Dhurandharis different. This is Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal—major stars, major budget, major theatrical ambition. That’s not indie-daring. That’s studio-scale conviction. Shooting two films simultaneously means doubling down on budget, resources, and exposure. If Part 1 failed, Part 2 still exists—already made, already expensive. It signals to the industry that back-to-back production isn’t just viable in India—it’s potentially more lucrative and creatively sound than the old model of waiting years between sequels. This could be the birth of a new franchise culture in Bollywood. One built on conviction rather than caution. Dhurandharis a high-octane action-thriller written, directed, and produced by Aditya Dhar, and produced by Jyoti Deshpande and Lokesh Dhar. It features a stellar cast including Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal and Sara Arjun. Pakistan’s anti-terrorism court sentenced Zaheerul Hassan Shah, a senior Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan leader, to 35 years in prison for inciting violence against ex-Chief Justice Isa, amid a crackdown on the banned group after recent deadly clashes. Get the latest stories delivered straight to your inbox.