Actors Paresh Rawal and Ravi Kishan praise director Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar movies. (Credit: Instagram/@maddockfilms; Facebook/@officialjiostudios, @RaviKissanShukla)After emerging as a monstrous success at the box office, grossing over Rs 1,307.35 crore worldwide, Dhurandhar (2025) swept the Chetak Screen Awards 2026 as well, earning 14 trophies in total, including Best Actor (Male) for Ranveer Singh, Best Director for Aditya Dhar, and Best Actor in a Supporting Role (Male) for Akshaye Khanna. This has come as a double delight for the franchise, as the second instalment, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, is still dominating the box office and has earned over Rs 1,600 crore thus far, making it the fourth-highest-grossing Indian film of all time.Aside from the general public, industry insiders have also been showering praise on the franchise, with some, like Ram Gopal Varma, even going so far as to compare it to Ramesh Sippy’s Sholay (1975), one of the most influential Indian films of all time. At the same time, the Dhurandhar movies have also been receiving immense criticism from many for allegedly being propagandistic.Also Read | Dhurandhar 2 Worldwide Box Office Collection Day 18 LIVE Updates: Ranveer Singh-starrer crosses Rs 1,000 crore net in India‘Dhurandhar revived the film industry,’ says Ravi KishanAmid all this, actor Ravi Kishan, who also serves as a BJP member in the Lok Sabha representing Uttar Pradesh’s Gorakhpur constituency, has stepped forward to support Dhurandhar. Mentioning that the two movies “revived the film industry” with their cinematic brilliance, he told Hindustan Times, “Calling it a propaganda film is very wrong! Actors from the South supported it openly; everyone should do that. A new trend has started of calling films propaganda – ek naya kabootar pakad liye hain log!”He added, “The writer picks topics from real news and incidents, and the team cinematically presents them on the screen. One should be happy that people have started going to the theatre. Bahut haalat kharab thi industry ki (the industry’s condition was very poor); Bhojpuri industry has almost shut down! This has come as a blessing for the industry, and lakhs of people earn their livelihood through cinema.”Pointing out that it’s crucial for cinema to act as a mirror held against society, Ravi Kishan stated, “In fact, we need to correct our history as well by way of research – those pages that were torn away from our history! That truth needs to be brought in front of people.”Paresh Rawal praises DhurandharVeteran actor Paresh Rawal, also a member of the BJP and former Lok Sabha MP representing Gujarat’s Ahmedabad East constituency, recently heaped praise on the Dhurandhar movies. He also expressed his sorrow at not having received the opportunity to be part of the franchise. Calling it a “saga,” he told news agency PTI, “Dekhi… Dhurandhar 1 and 2 dekhi… Part 1 do baar dekhi, dusri ek baar dekhi, vapas dekhne jaana hai. Mujhe hona chahiye tha ismein (I have watched both films. Watched Part 1 twice and Part 2 once, and I want to watch it again. I should have been a part of the film).”Story continues below this adChetak Screen Awards 2026 | Bobby Deol gets emotional accepting Dharmendra’s Lifetime Achievement Award, says ‘I see my father’s love in your eyes’“I liked Dhurandhar a lot; it’s not just a film but a saga. For the first time, I felt I should have been part of it. Zindagi main pehli baar mujhe laga main hota ismein toh maza aata (For the first time in my life, I felt that it would have been fun had I been in it),” he added. Paresh Rawal was a part of Aditya Dhar’s Uri, and played the role which appeared to be inspired by Ajit Doval.Starring Ranveer Singh, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Sara Arjun, Rakesh Bedi, Gaurav Gera, and Danish Pandor in key roles, Dhurandhar 2 has grossed Rs 1,605.74 crore worldwide so far, according to industry tracker Sacnilk. It currently trails behind Allu Arjun’s Pushpa 2: The Rule (Rs 1,742.10 crore), Prabhas-Anushka Shetty’s Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (Rs 1,788.06 crore), and Aamir Khan’s Dangal (Rs 2,070.3 crore). Despite being in its third week in theatres, the spy actioner continues to earn over Rs 20 crore daily in the domestic market, and its total India nett collection, as of Sunday, April 5, stands at Rs 1,013.77 crore.