Vanga and Prabhas Praise “Dhurandhar 2” Amid Growing Box Office Success

Filmmaker Sandeep Reddy Vanga has publicly defended Aditya Dhar’s blockbuster “Dhurandhar: The Revenge” against critics who labeled it propaganda, insisting instead that the film portrays factual events. The “Animal” director shared his thoughts on social media Thursday, a day after he and Telugu superstar Prabhas attended a screening at Allu Cinemas in Hyderabad.

“Writers and actors built careers on propaganda, and the industry stayed quiet like cats. Now the same clan mock Dhurandhar,” Vanga wrote in his pointed critique of industry hypocrisy. “You don’t get to call yourself liberal if your first instinct is to mock. Don’t know when truth started getting labeled as propaganda… strange times.”

The director’s comments come amid ongoing debates about the film’s political undertones, which have become increasingly common with big-budget Indian productions that touch on nationalistic themes. Despite—or perhaps because of—these controversies, “Dhurandhar: The Revenge” has already crossed the ₹1600 crore mark worldwide, surpassing its predecessor’s ₹1300 crore collection.

In his social media post, Vanga also issued a cryptic warning to Dhar and lead actor Ranveer Singh about the “evil eye,” suggesting they would need more than traditional remedies to ward off negativity surrounding their success. “This evil eye cannot be removed easily. A handful of red chillies won’t be sufficient, you’ll have to burn down a crop,” he wrote before praising the film as “outstanding.”

Dhar responded warmly to Vanga’s support, expressing admiration for the director’s willingness to stand his ground. “I genuinely love the way you stand your ground and give it back when it matters,” Dhar replied. “There’s a real honesty and belief in that and it’s something I truly respect.”

Fan-captured videos and photos from the Hyderabad screening showed Vanga and Prabhas thoroughly engaged during the film, even lingering to watch what appeared to be post-credits scenes—a gesture that didn’t go unnoticed by the “Dhurandhar” team or social media users.

The camaraderie between these filmmakers comes at a significant moment for both. Vanga is currently directing “Spirit,” starring Prabhas and Triptii Dimri, scheduled for release in March 2027. The project initially had Deepika Padukone attached, but she was later replaced by Dimri amid reports of creative differences.

Vanga had previously alluded to this situation in cryptic social media posts, writing about broken trust: “When I narrate a story to an actor, I place 100% faith. There is an unsaid NDA between us. But by doing this, you’ve ‘disclosed’ the person that you are.” He also criticized what he called “dirty PR games” being played around the project.

Meanwhile, “Dhurandhar: The Revenge” continues its remarkable box office run with a stellar cast including Sara Arjun, R. Madhavan, and Akshaye Khanna supporting Ranveer Singh. The film has become one of the highest-grossing Hindi productions in recent years, cementing Dhar’s reputation following his debut success “URI: The Surgical Strike.”

The exchange between Vanga and Dhar highlights the growing trend of filmmakers publicly supporting each other’s commercial ventures, particularly when faced with criticism from certain quarters of the media and film industry. It also underscores the evolving landscape of Indian cinema, where massive budget productions increasingly dominate box office discussions while sparking debates about content and messaging.

As “Spirit” moves forward in production with Prabhas and Dimri, industry watchers will be keeping a close eye on whether Vanga can replicate the commercial success of “Animal,” which proved controversial but highly profitable at the box office.