Dhurandhar is a textbook example of how modern film economics views attention as the primary source of revenue. It is not merely chasing box-office numbers; it is optimizing capital efficiency.
Trailer Se Theatre Tak: Dhurandhar Ka Dhurandhar Dhanda
Dhurandhar positioned itself more as an event than a movie from the outset of the trailer release. The teaser with its swagger, confrontation, and circulation-engineered punchlines, pursued recall rather than originality. The discussion has hardly slowed down in the weeks that have passed. Dhurandhar has become a live case study of how Hindi cinema today creates momentum long before release thanks to trailer breakdowns, trade rumors, PR fights, and speculative box office math.
Business So Far: The Hype
Dhurandhar has now moved well past the ₹800-crore mark at the Indian box office, with domestic collections trending closer to the Rs 850-crore range. Worldwide grosses are estimated to have crossed Rs 1,300 crore and continue to climb. This positions the film ahead of several Indian blockbusters. Crucially, the film has not merely touched these milestones through a front-loaded opening. It has added meaningful business deep into its theatrical run, reinforcing its status as a high-yield commercial property rather than a short-cycle hit.
At its core, Dhurandhar is a textbook example of how modern film economics views attention as the primary source of revenue. Jio Studios has increasingly positioned itself as a scale player rather than a boutique content business. It gave the movie strong non-theatrical valuations through streaming, satellite, and music even before it was released. The producer’s plan is obvious: monetize the anticipation itself to reduce the risk of the theatrical bet.
Dhurandhar is playing a longer game than recent star-driven releases. Such releases rely on an opening-weekend blitzkrieg. Short, meme-worthy scenes, dialogue that can withstand compression, and visuals intended for both movie theaters and smartphone displays were all included in the teaser. Viral Instagram trend of Indian spy in Pakistan kept the movie in chatter. Another viral Akshaye Khanna moment is a cherry on top. Due in large part to pre-sales and aggressive area licensing, trade observers have already started comparing it to mid-to-high budget action dramas that recovered expenses inside the first 10 days. For a movie to be profitable in terms of return on investment, it only has to be a successful theatrical production and a top-notch intellectual property.
Dhurandhar differs from comparable titles like Animal and KGF in terms of the scale as well as tone management. Animal and KGF rode on polarisation after release; Dhurandhar engineered it before release. That is important monetarily. Polarisation encourages repeat interactions, extending footfall beyond the initial weekend. If even cautious forecasts are correct, the film’s cost-to-recovery window might be among the smallest in its category. It is an increasingly valuable criterion in an industry fearful of long theatrical tails. Dhurandhar is not merely chasing box-office numbers; it is optimizing capital efficiency. In contemporary film economics, capital efficiency matters more than opening-day spectacle.
Daily Marketing, PR, and the Social Media
The marketing playbook has been relentless but calibrated. Daily content drops including motion posters, dialogue clips, cast bytes keep the algorithm warm without exhausting the audience. Social media isn’t being used to explain the film, but to provoke reactions. Silence, when it appears, is strategic.
This approach has not been without friction. A section of critics pushed back against what they saw as over-engineered bravado, only to face coordinated PR counter-narratives questioning credibility and intent. The backlash itself became content. In today’s attention economy, even dissent is a distribution channel. For the producers, negative critique was not a risk to be neutralized, but fuel to be repurposed.
Populist Narrative and Mass Address
Dhurandhar unapologetically employs popular language, clear heroes, moral certainty, and strong conversation. This isn’t nuanced cinema, nor does it pretend to be. Anger, pride, and supremacy are the emotions that drive it here, rather than ideology. Such narratives spread quickly because they are legible across demographics. Clarity triumphs over complexity in today’s fractured media
landscape. The film’s rhetoric reflects the moment as assertive, aggressive, and impatient with nuance and this resonance explains much of its success.
Conclusion: Business Has Only Just Begun
As the industry watches the countdown, the message from the makers is unmistakable: this is not a one-off bet but a franchise seed. Talk of Dhurandhar Part 2 has already entered the ecosystem, and with March 19 positioned as the next inflection point, the signal is clear. Picture abhi baaki hai. Dhandha toh abhi shuru hua hai.
Dhruvinkumar Chauhan, Senior Research Associate, MICA, Ahmedabad, India. Email: dhruvin.chauhan@micamail.in
Rasananda Panda, Professor, MICA, Ahmedabad, India. Email: rasananda.panda@micamail.in
(Disclaimer: The views expressed above are the author’s own and do not reflect those of DNA)
