Director Aditya Dhar issued a public apology on March 18 after technical glitches forced the sudden cancellation of regional paid preview screenings for the espionage sequel Dhurandhar: The Revenge. The film is scheduled to release globally on March 19, 2026. While Hindi-language previews proceeded as planned, theatrical operators halted screenings across Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana. Malayalam and Kannada shows were postponed until Thursday morning.
The cancellations intersect with a record-breaking pre-sales window for the Ranveer Singh feature. Advance bookings surpassed 130 crore globally, fueled by an estimated $9 million international haul for the opening weekend. United States premiere grosses accounted for $1.54 million across 740 locations. The surge in consumer demand prompted major Indian multiplex chains to schedule round-the-clock screenings, including 2:00 a.m. shows, to accommodate the unprecedented advance box office volume.
The sequel arrives in theaters with an epic finalized runtime of 3 hours, 49 minutes, and 6 seconds. The Central Board of Film Certification issued the film an ‘A’ rating after mandating 21 specific cuts to the final print. The censorship board removed exactly 1 minute and 34 seconds of extreme violence, toning down visual depictions of beheadings and blunt-force trauma to the head and eyes.
The 229.06-minute theatrical cut functions as a direct continuation of the December 2025 predecessor, which generated over 1,300 crore in global ticket sales. The narrative follows Jaskirat Singh Rangi, an Indian operative operating deep undercover in the Karachi criminal underworld as Hamza Ali Mazari.
Taking to the social media platform X on Wednesday, Dhar addressed the infrastructure failures that disrupted the film’s regional launch rollout.
“To our dear Dhurandhar family, Dhurandhar is not just a film for us; it is something we have lived with, nurtured, and dreamed of sharing with each and every one of you, together, at the same moment, in every language,” Dhar stated.
The director confirmed that Hindi preview shows commenced at 5:00 p.m. local time, with Tamil and Telugu previews rescheduled for 9:00 p.m. Dhar concluded his statement by urging theatergoers to refrain from circulating spoilers online and confirmed the existence of a post-credits scene tied directly to the franchise’s overarching geopolitical narrative.