Inside Ranveer Singh starrer Dhurandhar's Mega Budget: Big Stars, Bigger Action, and a High-Stakes Gamble Inside the ₹250+ crore action epic that unites India's biggest stars — but can Dhurandhar turn hype into box-office heat?

Ranveer Singh is all set to be back on the big screen with his upcoming film, Dhurandhar. The film is set to release in cinemas next month, and a fiery trailer for the film was released on November 18. Besides Ranveer, the star-studded cast of the film features Arjun Rampal, R Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt, and Akshaye Khanna in key roles. While these stars and the trailer have captured the attention of their fans, let's dig deeper into the budget, cast, box office and other factors related to the film.

The Scale & Cost of the Film

Undoubtedly, Dhurandhar appears to be mounted on an exceptionally high budget and it is evident from its action set pieces, VFX-heavy sequences and the ensemble cast as shown in the trailer. The film surely falls in the mega budget category as it serves the large-scale production and is shot at multiple international locations with high-end technical team and most importantly, star salaries.

When we spoke to the producer and film business expert Girish Johar, he acknowledged the film's massive scale right away. Speaking about the budget, he said, "It's a big action spectacle with big stars and a big director. The scale of the film is huge and it has loads of action. That's why the budget is more than ₹250 crore. The makers have clearly spent across the cast and the action sequences to mount the film at this level."

Bigger Stars, Bigger Investment

The film feature an ensemble cast including Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan and Arjun Rampal. When asked if star power still speaks for a film to be successful, Johar said, "When you have big stars like these, you get a lot of traction and a lot of eyeballs. The very fact that you're discussing the film with me shows the interest level. Each of them has their own fan following, and when they come together in a big ensemble film, everyone gets excited. So yes, it does make sense."

The Director Influence

Dhurandhar is directed by URI: The Sugical Strike fame director Aditya Dhar, who is known for scale, precision, and patriotic themes. Considering the fact that he gave a blockbuster with Vicky Kaushal starrer URI, we wondered if this hypes up audience's expectations by Ranveer starrer. When asked Johar the same, he was quick to answer, "That is precisely why the producers have backed him. He has delivered very good products in the past, and URI was a big film that did fantastic at the box office. He has proved his vision once, and that's why the makers trust him again."

Box-Office Recovery & Audience Behavior

If you are a film buff, you must already know that large-scale action films still dominate box office. However, recently, we have also seen star-heavy films performing really bad at the ticket window. So when we discussed if star-power still keeps an important part in bringing more footfalls at the ticket window, Johar explained, "Audience viewing patterns have definitely changed, but you can't take away the fact that big stars still draw audiences. I'm quite confident audiences will continue to come. Star power stays intact, and for this film in particular, it's relevant."

In a nutshell, Dhurandhar is a multi-crore budget film and hence it also comes with a heavy pressure for strong opening weekend numbers. The film is set to release in theatres on December 5, 2025. So let's wait and watch to see if star power alone drive footfall at the box office, or will storytelling be the deciding factor for the film.

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