Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma on Friday praised Aditya Dhar’s spy thriller Dhurandhar, calling it a “quantum leap” in Indian cinema. In reply, Dhar said the endorsement left him overwhelmed and validated as a longtime admirer of the Satya helmer.

In a detailed post on X, Varma, known for films such as Rangeela, Satya and Company, said Dhurandhar has “completely and single handedly” altered the future trajectory of Indian cinema.

“Dhurandhar is not just a film... it is a quantum leap. What Dhurandhar achieves is not just scale, but a never before experienced vision not just in sight but in the mind. Aditya Dhar doesn’t direct scenes here… he engineers the states of minds of both the characters and us audience. The film doesn’t ask for your attention.. it commands it,” Varma wrote.

Varma added that the film “refuses to be polite,” both in its writing and in the staging of its scenes.

“Dhar understands that power in storytelling is not volume… It's pressure building. Every sequence feels compressed, like a spring being wound never knowing when it will snap. And when it does, the impact is not just brutal but it is also symphonically operatic...

“But beyond craft, what truly elevates Dhurandhar is its intent. This is not a film chasing trends or validation. It is a solemn declaration, that Indian cinema doesn’t need to dilute itself to become successful and doesn’t need to mindlessly copy Hollywood. Dhar proved that it can be rooted and still be internationally cinematic,” Varma said.

Dhar, who made his directorial debut with Uri: The Surgical Strike, responded by expressing his admiration for Varma and his influence on his creative journey.

“I came to Mumbai years ago carrying one suitcase, one dream, and an unreasonable belief that I would one day work under Ram Gopal Verma. That never happened. But somewhere along the way, without knowing it, I worked inside your cinema. Your films didn’t teach me how to make movies — they taught me how to think dangerously,” Dhar said.

“To have you say that Dhurandhar is a quantum leap feels surreal, emotional, and honestly a little unfair… because now whatever I do next has to live up to this tweet. You were one of my favourite directors who made Indian cinema feel fearless, impolite, and alive. If Dhurandhar has even a fraction of that DNA, it’s because your films whispered (sometimes screamed) in my head while I was writing and directing it,” he added.

Dhar said Varma’s films shaped his belief that audiences are intelligent and receptive to ambitious storytelling that does not apologise for its scale or intent.

“Thank you for this generosity, this madness, and this validation. The fan in me is overwhelmed. The filmmaker in me feels challenged. And the boy who came to Mumbai to work under RGV… finally feels seen,” Dhar said.

Dhurandhar, which released in theatres on 5 December, features Ranveer Singh alongside Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun, R Madhavan and Rakesh Bedi. The film’s domestic box office collection has crossed Rs 600 crore, while its worldwide earnings stand at over Rs 700 crore.

The film is set against the backdrop of covert intelligence operations and major geopolitical and terror events, including the Kandahar plane hijack, the 2001 Parliament attack and the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

It is produced by Aditya Dhar and Lokesh Dhar under B62 Studios in association with Jyoti Deshpande’s Jio Studios.