Hindi
A grand finale act Dhurandhar muscles into the Rs 1000 Crore club
MUMBAI: Just when 2025 looked set to bow out on a cautious note, Dhurandhar stepped in and rewrote the closing credits. The spy thriller led by Ranveer Singh has officially crossed the Rs 1,000 crore worldwide box office mark, a feat achieved by only a handful of Indian films. In recent years, that exclusive club has included titles such as Jawan, Pathaan, KGF Chapter 2, RRR and Baahubali 2 films that combined scale, spectacle and sustained audience interest. Dhurandhar’s entry into this bracket places it firmly among modern Indian cinema’s biggest commercial successes, and does so in a year where consistency was in short supply.
The film is supported by a formidable ensemble featuring Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, and Arjun Rampal, whose performances lend gravitas to the espionage drama, alongside strong supporting turns by Sara Arjun, Rakesh Bedi, Danish Pandor, and Saumya Tandon, ensuring the narrative never relies on star power alone but is driven by depth across the cast.
What makes the milestone more striking is the film’s trajectory. Dhurandhar did not explode out of the gates with record-shattering opening numbers. Instead, it posted a measured opening, followed by unusually strong weekday holds. As early scepticism gave way to curiosity, word of mouth took control, and collections began climbing week on week rather than tapering off. Trade analysts point to this curve as the clearest indicator of genuine audience buy-in rather than front-loaded hype.
Social media played a decisive role in that shift. Clips highlighting the film’s gripping plot turns, tight screenplay and layered performances travelled rapidly across platforms, fuelling conversation beyond the usual fan bases. The ensemble cast, not just the lead star, found consistent praise, while discussions around the film’s narrative choices and pacing kept it trending long after release weekend. That digital buzz translated directly into footfalls, with repeat viewing emerging as a key driver of its late-stage box office surge.
By its third week, Dhurandhar had moved decisively into elite territory, pushing past Rs 1,050–1,100 crore globally, with overseas markets such as North America, the Middle East and Australia contributing meaningfully alongside a strong domestic run. For exhibitors and distributors, the film became a rare example of a release that grew stronger as competition increased, rather than fading under it.
In a year that delivered a mixed report card for Hindi cinema marked by high-profile underperformers and cautious audience sentiment, Dhurandhar’s run has offered a timely reminder. When story, craft and performance align, audiences still show up, talk about it and return. Amid shifting consumption habits and release strategies, the film’s success reinforces an old truth dressed in new numbers: a well-made film remains the most reliable recipe for box office success.
As the industry looks ahead to 2026, Dhurandhar’s Rs 1,000 crore finish does more than end the year on a high. It restores faith in the fundamentals that compelling storytelling, patiently earned buzz and audience trust can still deliver cinema’s biggest wins.
Hindi
Government backs film production through DCDFC, co-production push
Scheme funds cinema, WAVES 2025 boosts global ties and industry growth.
MUMBAI: Lights, camera… policy action. As India’s screens glow brighter at home and abroad, the government is quietly scripting a bigger role behind the scenes funding films, fuelling collaborations and nudging the country closer to its “create for the world” ambition. At the centre of this effort is the Development, Communication & Dissemination of Filmic Content (DCDFC) scheme, a 100 per cent centrally funded initiative designed to support film production across the country. Through this scheme, the government provides direct financial backing to projects, aiming to strengthen both mainstream and alternative storytelling ecosystems while encouraging cinematic excellence.
The implementation runs through the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), which plays a key role in facilitating film production, including regional cinema and documentaries. Beyond the screen, the scheme also feeds into the broader economy creating jobs for local technicians, artists and service providers, and strengthening grassroots production networks across states.
The push, however, is not limited to funding alone. India’s ambition to position itself as a global content powerhouse was on display at the World Audio Visual & Entertainment Summit 2025 held in Mumbai, which brought together creators, producers, startups and global stakeholders from over 100 countries. The summit acted as a convergence point for Indian storytelling and international capital, with OTT platforms, investors and technology leaders exploring partnerships in a rapidly evolving content economy.
Complementing this is the government’s focus on audio-visual co-production agreements, which effectively operate on a public-private partnership model. By enabling Indian and international producers to collaborate, these agreements are designed to bring in investment, global expertise and advanced filmmaking practices while also giving Indian stories a wider global footprint.
Support also extends to film culture and preservation. Grants are provided for domestic film festivals recommended by state governments, alongside curated film packages, masterclasses and workshops to nurture talent and audience engagement. The NFDC further collaborates with State Film Development Corporations, offering technical expertise across the filmmaking value chain and supporting the preservation of local film heritage.
Many states, in parallel, are encouraging the development of film infrastructure including production studios often through public-private partnership models, signalling a coordinated push to build a more robust audiovisual ecosystem.
The update was shared in Parliament by Ashwini Vaishnaw in response to a query from Thirumaavalavan Tholkappiyan, outlining a multi-layered approach that blends funding, infrastructure, policy and global outreach.
Taken together, the message is clear: India is not just telling more stories, it is building the machinery to tell them bigger, better and to the world.
