Tigmanshu Dhulia has stirred a sharp conversation around mainstream Hindi cinema, using Dhurandhar as the clearest example of what he believes has gone missing from big screen storytelling. Speaking at a public event on September 8, the filmmaker argued that spectacle and template-driven filmmaking have overtaken the art of telling a compelling story, even when a film succeeds with audiences.
Tigmanshu Dhulia Questions Dhurandhar’s Core Story
Dhulia did not dismiss the scale or presentation of Dhurandhar, but he was blunt about what he felt the film lacked at its core. He said, “But if you ask about his story, you won’t be able to tell the story of Dhurandhar. There is a man who is an undercover spy, he goes to Pakistan and creates a ruckus there. This is not a story.”
That remark instantly put the spotlight on the Ranveer Singh-led action thriller, which has been one of the most widely discussed Hindi releases in recent weeks. Dhulia’s criticism was not aimed at the film’s commercial performance, but at the difference between a premise and a fully developed narrative.
His Attack On The Template Culture
Dhulia widened the conversation beyond one film and framed it as a larger industry problem. He said, “Stories are over in films. First of all, the storytellers are over and what they want to say is not allowed to be made. That story is not allowed to be told.”
He then linked that shift to changing business structures in the industry. In his words, “They feel that this film will not work. There is only one kind of template. This is what happens when there is extreme capitalism.”
Pushing the idea even further, Dhulia argued that sameness has spread beyond cinema into everyday culture. He said, “People also start looking the same. You go to a boy’s fashion. Everybody looks the same. Same haircut. Every city looks the same. The character of every city is over.”
Ghamasaan Is His Next Release
The timing of Dhulia’s comments is especially striking because they arrive just days before the release of his next directorial, Ghamasaan. The film premieres on ZEE5 on September 11, 2026, and stars Arshad Warsi, Pratik Gandhi, Ishita Dutta and Rajpal Yadav. Set in Bundelkhand, the action drama follows IPS officer Aditya Singh as he hunts a feared dacoit, only for the mission to open up a murkier battle involving power and corruption.
The project had been awaiting release for around two years before landing on OTT, making its arrival one of the more closely watched digital premieres in Dhulia’s recent filmography.
Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Recent And Upcoming Work
Dhulia’s last completed directorial before Ghamasaan was Yaara, which released on ZEE5 in 2020. In the years since, he has also remained active as an actor, with appearances including the 2025 series Black, White & Gray: Love Kills. His standing as a filmmaker, however, continues to be defined by titles such as Haasil, Sahib Bibi Aur Gangster and the National Award-winning Paan Singh Tomar.
As of September 8, 2026, Ghamasaan is his confirmed next release, and it arrives carrying both his trademark rugged terrain and his very public frustration with formula-led filmmaking.
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