The highly anticipated spy thriller sequel to last year’s Rs 1,300 crore global behemoth has officially unleashed its theatrical blitz. Paid previews for director Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar: The Revenge start today across India ahead of its March 19 worldwide release, armed with a staggering Rs 47 crore in advance bookings including blocked seats. Excluding those blocks, the raw ticket sales sit at Rs 42 crore, with trade analysts projecting a Rs 45 to Rs 50 crore opening from previews alone.
The domestic demand is already shattering institutional norms. While the picture faces overseas premiere delays, Mumbai’s iconic Maratha Mandir theater just altered a 30-year tradition. The cinema shifted its daily 11:30 AM screening of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge to 10:00 AM just to cram in three daily shows of the new Ranveer Singh tentpole.
Dhurandhar 2 frenzy 🔥
Ranveer Singh’s film gets 24-hour shows across India amid massive demand. Midnight premieres + March 18 paid previews locked.
Big shift at Maratha Mandir too—DDLJ moved to early morning slot to make way 👀
A new era at the box office? 🎬💥#Dhurandhar2… pic.twitter.com/ae9NGrIkWH
— Bollywood Machine (@BollywoodMachin) March 17, 2026
Audiences should prepare for a marathon. The Central Board of Film Certification slapped the picture with an ‘A’ certificate and a punishing runtime of 3 hours and 49 minutes, making it 15 minutes longer than its predecessor. Notably, the Indian theatrical edit runs exactly six minutes shorter than the global version due to mandated board cuts.
Singh returns as Indian spy Jaskirat Singh Rangi, still operating deep undercover in Pakistan’s criminal underworld as Hamza Ali Mazari. The narrative dives into terror financing and a revenge arc tied to the 26/11 attacks, pitting the protagonist against a shadowy geopolitical antagonist known as Bade Sahab. The ensemble cast includes Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Akshaye Khanna, and Sara Arjun, with Shashwat Sachdev providing the original score.
The production’s grueling nature was highlighted just as previews began. Co-star Rajat Arora shared a behind-the-scenes anecdote regarding an on-set injury, revealing that Singh comforted him by detailing how his wife, Deepika Padukone, had endured similar unspoken physical pain during her own rigorous shooting schedules.
Pres Alexander Stubb posted chat video on X
Dhurandhar: 'Not a game at all': Canadian PM Mark Carney and Finland’s president Alexander Stubb discuss ‘Dhurandhar’ during a jog in London | – The Times of India/ Updated: March 18, 2026https://t.co/APfv7eOIYW
— ✨Soraya 🏎️🌟F1 (@whitediamond_S) March 17, 2026
The franchise’s cultural footprint has bizarrely breached international political circles. A recent viral video captured Finnish President Alexander Stubb and Canadian PM Mark Carney discussing the first film while jogging through London’s Hyde Park. Domestically, the sequel is capitalizing on a wide-open theatrical runway for the Gudi Padwa and Ugadi festivals across Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, and Kannada languages, having dodged a box-office bullet after Yash’s upcoming film Toxic was delayed to June.