Dhurandhar’s action director Aijaz Gulab defends the film’s violence, says: Not mindless action
Action director Aijaz Gulab emphasized the emotional realism behind Dhurandhar’s intense action sequences, saying that the film does not feature “mindless action”.
Action director Aijaz Gulab has emphasized that in the action sequences Dhurandhar: Revenge These are not just for show but based on emotions and realism. In a recent interview, Gulab revealed that director Aditya Dhar had given him complete creative freedom to design the intense action sequences of the film.
With a filmography spanning over 500 projects including Shootout at Lokhandwala, Ek Villain, and like the series The Family Man And Rana Naidu, Rose Said stalwart At last he has got the long awaited recognition. Speaking to PTI, he said, “People used to appreciate action in South films. It feels good that action is finally being appreciated in Hindi films.”
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The action director shared that it took around 135 days to film the action sequences, followed by around 70 days of rigorous preparation. Unlike many Bollywood productions, where the action is often constrained by time and budget, Gulab said that Dhar gave him the space to plan extensively.
“The action is partly fantasy, partly reality. Aditya sir gave me free rein to do whatever I wanted,” he said, adding that each sequence was crafted keeping in mind the story, the characters and their emotional intensity before being refined with the director’s input.
For the film, Gulab led a large team that included seven assistants, 12 stuntwomen and around 300 stunt performers. To achieve global scale, he collaborated with international stunt directors Yannick Benn and Si-Young Oh, both of whom are known for their work in Hollywood and major Indian films.
Take a look at the trailer of Dhurandhar 2:
Addressing criticism over the film’s cruelty, Gulab said that the tone was dictated by the narrative. He said, “The script demanded that we design the action sequences in a brutal manner. The film is about the underworld and gangsters and these people are known for their brutal acts.” He further said, “This is not an action taken without thinking; it is an action supported by emotions.”
He also revealed that some scenes were taken from real-life events to maintain authenticity. He said, “If we did it differently, it would look fake because the audience has seen news footage.”
Released on March 19, the film tells the story of an undercover agent, played by Ranveer Singh, who infiltrates a high-risk criminal network in Lyari, Karachi. It also stars Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal and R Madhavan in lead roles.
Despite its scale, Gulab said the team exercised restraint. “We could have done more horrific things, but keeping in mind the sensitivities of the censor board and the public, we did only 60 percent,” he said.
calling stalwart Gulab calls it a “career-defining milestone”, says he will be working on next projects vagrancy 2 and an upcoming film with Vikrant Massey, along with a Prime Video series, three crows.