Dhurandhar actor Ankit Sagar takes a subtle dig at glossy spy films like YRF’s universe, ‘ISI and RAW agents won’t dance with each other in real life'

Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar continues its dream run at the box office, and amid the film’s massive success, actor Ankit Sagar has opened up about the buzz, the controversy around its inspiration, and why he believes the film’s realism sets it apart from glossy spy franchises.

Speaking to Siddharth Kannan on his YouTube channel, Ankit Sagar, who played Javed Khanani in the film, addressed the chatter suggesting Dhurandhar was inspired by the life of martyr Major Mohit Sharma.




“People tend to latch onto similar things that they find in two people. They see the get-up or the story of where he went and think things like, ‘Oh, he must be Mohit Sharma,’” Sagar said, adding, “But I don’t think they (Aditya Dhar and the team) took any inspiration from his life.”

‘Dhurandhar is based on reality’

When asked whether YRF’s Spy Universe could compete with Dhurandhar, Sagar carefully avoided naming the franchise directly, but made it clear why he believes Dhar’s film has a strong edge.

“I want to work with everyone. Even they have given hit films,” he said, before stressing, “But Dhurandhar is a film based on reality. At the same time, it is also a commercial film. It has everything that a good film should have. That is why Dhurandhar reached so many people.”

‘ISI and RAW agents won’t dance with each other’

In what appeared to be a pointed yet understated jab at stylised spy films, Sagar added, “ISI and RAW agents won’t dance with each other in real life, but maybe they want to please all sides with their film in order to make money from all sides.”

His remarks are being read as a subtle swipe at the way ISI agents have been portrayed in popular spy films like Tiger and Pathaan, featuring Katrina Kaif, Salman Khan, Deepika Padukone and Shah Rukh Khan respectively.

About Dhurandhar

Dhurandhar follows Intelligence Bureau chief Ajay Sanyal, played by R. Madhavan, as he leads a high-stakes mission to dismantle a terror network operating out of Pakistan. Ranveer Singh essays the role of a Punjabi youth recruited from prison and trained to infiltrate Karachi’s criminal underworld.

The film stars Ranveer Singh in the lead, alongside Sara Arjun, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, Akshaye Khanna and R. Madhavan. With the film already raking in Rs 572 crore at the box office, a sequel is firmly in place.



Dhurandhar 2 is slated to release on March 19, 2026, and is set for a major box office clash with Yash-starrer Toxic, which is also scheduled to hit theatres on the same day.Get the latest entertainment updates from the Times of India, along with the latest Hindi movies, upcoming Hindi movies in 2026 , and Telugu movies.”