In an era where short and snappy is the mantra for content creators, director Aditya Dhar has taken a bold, contrarian leap with his latest spy-thriller, Dhurandhar: The Revenge. Clocking in at a massive 229 minutes—nearly four hours—the film has sparked intense debate over audience attention spans.
However, actor Manav Gohil, who plays IB Deputy Director Sushant Bansal in the franchise, recently revealed that the film’s length was a non-negotiable choice for Dhar. According to Gohil, the director was unwaveringly strict about retaining every detail of the extensive research that went into the script.
Speaking about the filming process, Gohil shared that the cast often felt they were shooting an endless amount of footage. “We were shooting and shooting… we knew it was going to be long, but we didn’t anticipate it would be divided into two parts,” the actor joked.
When the team questioned if some segments could be trimmed to make the film more theatre-friendly, Dhar’s response was firm. Gohil recalled the director saying:
“Yeh sab dikhaana zaroori hai It is important to show all of this.”
Dhar’s refusal to cut scenes wasn’t about ego; it was about factual integrity. The film draws heavy inspiration from real-world geopolitical events, including the 1999 IC-814 hijacking and the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. Dhar insisted that the hardcore research-based information and minutest nitty-gritties were essential to give the audience a complete, honest picture.
Gohil, who shared much of his screen time with R. Madhavan and Ranveer Singh, described Dhar’s directorial style as both intense and composed. He used a unique analogy to describe the filmmaker:
“I often compare Aditya to a swan. On the surface, he appears to glide effortlessly and remain calm, but beneath the water, his legs are paddling vigorously. He faced a multitude of challenges internally, yet he never let that turmoil show on set.”
This precision extended to the performances as well. Gohil noted that Dhar was very precise with dialogues, ensuring no scene felt artificial or forced. “He’d guide me constantly—keep it intellectual, calm, composed. Whenever I tried to add more, he’d trim it down,” Gohil added.
While a four-hour runtime might seem like a risk, the box office numbers suggest otherwise. Dhurandhar: The Revenge has already become a massive success, proving that audiences are willing to invest their time if the storytelling is immersive.
Gohil believes this marks a shift in Indian cinema. “Audiences today are more evolved. They don’t just want commercial formulas; they want depth and authenticity,” he stated. To know such latest updates tuned tellyboosters.com Thank you!
