Dhurandhar director Aditya Dhar served as a dialogue writer in Priyadarshan's films Aakrosh and Tezz. (Credit: Instagram/@priyadarshan.official)It’s just been nine days since director Aditya Dhar’s Ranveer Singh-starrer Dhurandhar: The Revenge hit the screens, and the spy actioner is already eyeing the lifetime collection that its predecessor, Dhurandhar (Rs 1,307.35 crore), amassed over a span of 100 days. In a major achievement, Dhurandhar 2 recently zoomed past the Rs 1,000 crore mark worldwide in just seven days, joining Sukumar’s Allu Arjun-led Pushpa 2: The Rule (2024) as the fastest Indian film ever to reach this milestone. As of Friday, March 27, the movie’s global gross stands at Rs 1,067.24 crore, and it continues its phenomenal run in theatres, registering over Rs 40 crore in nett collections even on weekdays.Aside from the general public, the spy actioner has also been receiving massive praise from industry insiders, including heavyweights such as ‘Superstar’ Rajinikanth. Recently, Aditya Dhar’s mentor, legendary filmmaker Priyadarshan, shared what he believed was the primary factor behind the Dhurandhar director’s success. According to him, it’s Aditya’s “conviction” that sets him apart from his contemporaries and catapults him to great heights. Priyadarshan further maintained that much like him, Aditya is also an autodidact who mastered the ins and outs of filmmaking on his own.Check out | Dhurandhar 2 Worldwide Box Office Collection Day 8 LIVE UpdatesHe also lauded both Aditya and Animal (2023) director Sandeep Reddy Vanga for trusting their instincts and setting out to realise their visions rather than following industry norms. “Some people have guts,” Priyadarshan said during a conversation with India Today, adding, “I’ve seen both kinds of people. One is Sandeep Reddy Vanga, who made Animal, and another is Aditya Dhar. I asked them, ‘What gives you the confidence to work on a four-hour film?’ They said, ‘It will work, sir.’ It’s against all the theories of a hit film. No producer will ever allow you to make a four-hour film, but the conviction of the director is the ultimate thing.”The filmmaking legend also noted that he doesn’t believe he taught Aditya anything, but that the latter rather grasped things himself without anyone’s help. “I never taught Aditya anything, but he learned. That is the only way we can make films. I never went to any school, I just watched films and learned from masters. In the same way, Aditya… I don’t know if I taught him anything… but by being with me, he learned by himself,” he added.Also Read | Project Hail Mary gets only 9 IMAX shows amid Dhurandhar 2 wave; upset fans ask, ‘What kind of greed is this?’For the unfamiliar, Aditya served as a dialogue writer in Priyadarshan’s films Aakrosh (2010) and Tezz (2012), which were his stepping stones to mainstream Bollywood. After watching the first instalment in the Dhurandhar franchise, Priyadarshan had heaped praise on the director and his spy actioner. “There is no greater happiness than watching my disciple rise with such remarkable success. Congratulations, Aditya Dhar, on Dhurandhar, and heartfelt best wishes for Dhurandhar 2,” he wrote, sharing on Instagram an old photo of the two of them together on a movie set.Story continues below this adIn response, Aditya noted his elation at Priyadarshan’s post. “You believed in me when I was a nobody, and when all I had was conviction and a few written pages. You treated me like an equal, and gave me something far more precious than just work — dignity, trust, and love.”Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.© IE Online Media Services Pvt Ltd