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    EYE ON BOLLYWOOD                                                          MAY 22, 2026     |  The Indian Eye 42

                     After Conquering the Global Box

             Office, ‘Dhurandhar 2’ Now Marches

                                    Into the OTT Battlefield

             With a Rs 3000 crore franchise, global streaming rollout and a “raw and uncut” version for digital
             audiences, ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’ is aiming to recreate its theatrical frenzy on OTT platforms.

            OUR BUREAU
            Mumbai
                 ew Indian film franchises in recent years have
                 managed to blur the line between mass spec-
            Ftacle and global event quite like Dhurandhar:
            The Revenge. After months of dominating theatres,
            smashing box office records and building a cult-like
            fan  following  across  continents,  the  action  block-
            buster is now preparing for its next big test — the
            world of streaming.
                And if the makers are to be believed, the digital
            journey of ‘Dhurandhar’ may be just as explosive as
            its theatrical run.
                The film’s India streaming debut has officially
            been locked. The makers announced that ‘Dhurand-
            har 2’ will begin streaming on JioHotstar from June
            5, with a grand digital premiere scheduled for June
            4 at 7 pm. The platform teased audiences with a dra-
            matic announcement on Instagram: “Aandhi banke    Internationally, the Dhurandhar: The Revenge has already arrived on Netflix for audiences in the United States and Canada,
            jo aa raha hai usse DHURANDHAR kehte hain.
            Watch Dhurandhar The Revenge, Raw & Undekha.”   where viewers are being offered a special “raw and uncut” version that was not screened in Indian theatres (File photo)
                That  phrase  —  “Raw  &  Undekha”  —  has
            quickly become central to the film’s OTT strategy.  Ranveer Singh, whose larger-than-life performance   saying the filmmaker gave “a lot of freedom” to ev-
                Internationally, the Dhurandhar: The Revenge   gave the sequel its emotional and commercial centre.  ery department, from actors to music, costume and
            has already arrived on Netflix for audiences in the   The sequel’s ensemble cast — including Arjun   action teams.
            United States and Canada, where viewers are be-  Rampal, R Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt, Sara Arjun and   “That  was  a  very  infectious  thing.  All  the  de-
            ing offered a special “raw and uncut” version that   Rakesh  Bedi  —  further  expanded  the  franchise’s   partments had so much freedom because of Aditya
            was not screened in Indian theatres. The overseas   scale and appeal across generations of moviegoers.  Dhar. There was so much openness in his mind,”
            streaming  release  came  nearly  eight  weeks  after   Rampal, who played Major Iqbal in the film, re-  Rampal said.
            the  theatrical  launch,  signaling  how  carefully  the   cently reflected on the significance of being associat-  The  music  by  Shashwat  Sachdev  has  also
            makers  have  staggered  the  rollout  to  maximize   ed with a project of this size.      emerged  as  a  major  driver  of  the  film’s  continu-
            both  box  office  revenue  and  digital  anticipation.  “Such a big film is a dream for people. Coming to   ing popularity online, with songs and background
                For a franchise that recently crossed the stag-  such a film in a person’s career is very important. You   themes  maintaining  strong  traction  across  digital
            gering Rs 3000 crore mark worldwide — becoming   become part of history, in a way,” he said. “When you   platforms long after the theatrical release.
            the first Indian film series to achieve the milestone   are a part of such a film, everyone benefits from it.”  Streaming  audiences  behave  differently  from
            — the OTT release is not merely an afterthought. It   His comments capture how ‘Dhurandhar’ has   cinema  crowds.  They  pause,  rewind,  dissect  and
            is the beginning of a second commercial life.  become more than a successful film series. Within   debate. Films survive not merely through spectacle
                In  the  streaming  era,  blockbuster  films  no   the industry, it is increasingly viewed as a defining   but through repeat value and online conversation.
            longer end with their theatrical run. Instead, they   cinematic event — one that reshaped box office ex-  The decision to release an expanded “raw and un-
            evolve into constantly circulating cultural products   pectations for Hindi action films after years of un-  cut” version appears designed precisely for that au-
            — clipped into reels, turned into memes, revisited   certainty in the post-pandemic era.   dience — fans eager for deleted scenes, extended
            through binge watching and rediscovered by inter-  Rampal  also  revealed  how  Dhar  approached   action sequences and a more immersive experience.
            national  audiences.  ‘Dhurandhar’  seems  perfectly   him for the role of Major Iqbal.       For now, all signs suggest that ‘Dhurandhar’ is
            designed for that ecosystem.                    “I asked him how he saw me in this role when he   not done making history.
                Directed  by  Aditya  Dhar  and  backed  by  Jio   was narrating the script to me,” Rampal said. “He   After conquering the box office, the franchise is
            Studios and B62 Studios, the franchise has blended   said, ‘I have seen all your films. I know that whatever   now entering living rooms, mobile screens and glob-
            large-scale action, patriotic drama and emotional in-  you bring in this role will be very different.’ That is   al streaming charts — proving that in modern cine-
            tensity with a slick international visual style. Much of   how our journey started. Everything else is history.”  ma, the real blockbuster journey often begins after
            its success has also rested on the screen presence of   The  actor  praised  Dhar’s  collaborative  style,  the curtains fall in theatres.Top of Form

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