Priyadarshan backs Aditya Dhar’s bold filmmaking, says conviction drives Dhurandhar’s success: ‘I never taught him, he learned himself’

Filmmaker Aditya Dhar’s fearless approach to storytelling is earning praise from his former mentor Priyadarshan, especially as Dhurandhar 2 continues its record-breaking run. Speaking about Dhar’s conviction, Priyadarshan highlighted how the director has managed to challenge conventional industry formulas.“Some people have guts. 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 theory 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,” he told India Today. Reflecting on Dhar’s journey from assistant to director, Priyadarshan was candid about how the filmmaker evolved during his early years working on films like Aakrosh and Tezz.“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 shared.In a rare moment of humility, Priyadarshan added, “He did things better than me, and that’s how Dhurandhar happened.” Despite backing new-age filmmakers, Priyadarshan admitted that the anxiety around film releases hasn’t changed for him over the years.“Every time a film releases, I have tension for two days because the first two days are your test, whether you are right or wrong. Even after 40 or 50 years, I have the same tension for every release. I just want to know how people will accept it,” he said, referring to his upcoming film Bhooth Bangla, which is slated to release on April 10. Meanwhile, Dhurandhar 2 is continuing its impressive box office run. The film stars Ranveer Singh, R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun, Sanjay Dutt and Rakesh Bedi in key roles, and is currently enjoying a dream run in theatres.