‘I was blown away by it’: Karan Johar says Dhurandhar made him re-evaluate his craft as a filmmaker

The buzz around Dhurandhar shows no signs of fading, with the Aditya Dhar directorial continuing to draw praise not just from audiences but also from within the film industry. Filmmaker Karan Johar has once again spoken highly of the film, describing its impact on him as both inspiring and humbling.

Karan Johar made these remarks while speaking at the launch of Dining With Stars, a book by film critic Anupama Chopra. Reflecting on his cinematic journey over the year, Johar said he began the year admiring Saiyaara and ended it “loving Dhurandhar”.

“I was blown away by Dhurandhar. It makes you feel like, ‘Oh my craft is limited.’ Oh my God, look at the use of background music,” Johar said. He added that what stood out most for him was the film’s lack of overt self-consciousness. “I didn’t feel the director was trying to show off his craft. He was just seamlessly telling the story.”

Johar went on to praise Aditya Dhar’s storytelling approach, noting that the film never felt visually indulgent despite being richly shot. “I never felt he was going wide just to show a great frame. It was beautifully shot without self-awareness. It made me question my ability as a filmmaker—and that’s always a good thing. I take that in a very positive way,” he said.

The filmmaker also mentioned other films that impressed him over the year, including Lokah, saying he “went mad” watching it. Johar had earlier shared his appreciation for Dhurandhar soon after its release, calling the film outstanding and congratulating Ranveer Singh and the entire team in a note posted on Instagram.

Directed by Aditya Dhar, Dhurandhar is a spy action thriller that follows Hamza, an Indian intelligence operative played by Ranveer Singh, who infiltrates a criminal network led by Rehman Dakait (Akshaye Khanna) in Pakistan’s Lyari region to uncover links with the ISI. The film also stars Arjun Rampal, R Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt, Rakesh Bedi and Sara Arjun in key roles.

Despite receiving mixed critical reviews, Dhurandhar has emerged as one of the biggest box office successes of the year, having crossed ₹1,100 crore worldwide and ₹706.40 crore in domestic collections. With its commercial performance and strong industry backing, anticipation is already building for its sequel, which is scheduled to release in theatres on 19 March 2026.

The film has become 7th-highest-grossing Indian film of all time. It is now behind RRR ( ₹782.2 crore), KGF: Chapter 2 ( ₹859.7 crore), Baahubali 2: The Conclusion ( ₹1,030.42 crore), and Pushpa 2: The Rule ( ₹1,234.1 crore) in India.