How the South was won: Dhurandhar 2 shows Bollywood the way to score pan-India hit
Picture this: a sweltering Hyderabad multiplex, the kind where AC battles the summer heat and the crowd’s roar could wake the dead. As Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar: The Revenge in its Hindi version unleashes its final twist, and has the audience on their feet, whistling like it’s a Pawan Kalyan premiere. Who’d have thought?
Bollywood, long the butt of South Indian box-office jokes, just gatecrashed the party and stole the munchies.
Dhurandhar: The Revenge, or Dhurandhar 2, isn’t just a film; it’s a full-blown fever that’s got the South sweating as much cash as North India – a cheeky trend reversal that’s got everyone grinning. That said, Aditya Dhar’s film went on to become India’s highest-grossing Hindi title, raking in over Rs 1500 crore worldwide (as of April 2, 2026, per Sacnilk).
BOLLYWOOD’S BOUNCE-BACK
Let’s rewind a bit. Pan-India was once South India’s clever export gambit. Think Baahubali 2 storming Hindi heartlands or Pushpa 2 raking in Hindi crore like it owned the place. Well, Bollywood? They’d dub a token print, pray for Rs 20 crore from Kerala maybe, and call it a day.
Hindi films (including remakes; say Liger, Bachchan Pandey, Shehzada) flopped Southwards faster than bad sequels.
But enter the twin titans of Shah Rukh Khan in 2023: Pathaan and Jawan. SRK, ever the comeback kid, turned the tide. As per industry tracking website Sacnilk, Pathaan pocketed around Rs 135 crore gross from the Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam circuits, smashing Aamir Khan’s Dangal‘s old Rs 88 crore record.
Jawan, Tamil director Atlee’s mass masala magic, doubled down with over Rs 200 crore from the South – the first Hindi flick to hit that milestone (also credits to casting – Nayanthara and Vijay Sethupathi as SRK’s co-stars, along with Anirudh Ravichander’s music). Dubbed versions alone crossed Rs 50 crore.
Suddenly, Bollywood wasn’t begging; it had started to belong.
However, last year (2025), big-budget films like Sikandar, Saiyaara – or even Chhaava and Mahavatar Narsimha for that matter – didn’t mint money from the Southern box offices. Whereas, a moderate-priced film like Sitaare Zameen Par did attract footfall, confirmed trade expert Ramesh Bala, speaking exclusively to India Today.
ENTER DHURANDHAR 2, THE GAME-CHANGER
Cut to 2026, and Dhurandhar: The Revenge – Ranveer Singh‘s hyperkinetic sequel – has flipped the script harder than a stunt double on steroids.
Unlike its predecessor, Dhurandhar (which skipped the South languages dubbing, sadly), the sequel went all-in from day one in the pan-India market.
In just 11 days, Dhurandhar 2 grossed over Rs 200 crore in South markets (crossing the Rs 200 crore gross mark in South Indian territories alongside Jawan), matching Jawan‘s feat and leaving Pushpa 2‘s Hindi version in the dust overseas. The film also shattered North American box offices – Dhurandhar 2 outdid Baahubali 2‘s legendary haul there too.
And Karnataka? The state went bonkers, clocking more than Rs 100 crore on its own recently. That’s not pocket change; that’s a state’s worth of popcorn money!
Language-wise overall collection (net)
Hindi – Rs 862.79 crore
Kannada – Rs 2.28 crore
Malayalam – Rs 1.48 crore
Tamil – Rs 16.20 crore
Telugu – Rs 32.27 crore
Overall net collection – Rs 920.02 crore
WHAT THE TRADE THINKS
Trade whispers paint a vivid picture. “I wouldn’t call Dhurandhar 2 a pan-Indian film – it’s a patriotic film,” trade expert Ramesh Bala tells India Today, adding, “Patriotism cuts across regions. We may belong to different states, but nationalism connects everyone. Any film that taps into that emotion tends to work beautifully across the country.”
There’s more, beyond the patriotic fervour. Most of the trade feels the film worked in the South for the same reason it became a global blockbuster: Dhurandhar 2 is unapologetic masala that blends action, drama and Ranveer’s electric energy. While South stars conquer the Hindi belt routinely, a Bollywood hero owning their screens is historic. In the words of a Hyderabad exhibitor, not wishing to be named: “Footfalls were 90 per cent in prime shows. Families, youth, even the uncle brigade – all hooked.”
Experts nod to the numbers: the South has contributed a whopping 25–30 per cent of Dhurandhar 2‘s domestic total so far (nearing Rs 1000 crore India net, per box office figures as of April 2, 2026), rivalling the North’s share.
That’s a reversal, surely – not trickle-down success but a gushing torrent.
WHY IT WORKED? STARS, SCALE, SENTIMENT
So, why now? Bollywood finally learnt from the South playbook. Big stars, bigger hooks, and dubbing that doesn’t sound like Google Translate on a bad day. Dhurandhar 2‘s Hindi cut (in Southern states too), voiced with punchy flair, feels surprisingly native. Add killer VFX, earworm tracks, and Ranveer’s sweat-drenched charisma, and you’ve got a film that transcends language barriers like a viral reel.
“Patriotism helps films travel,” Bala explains, noting, “Take films that evoke national pride – they resonate widely. For instance, Amaran (Sivakarthikeyan’s 2024 film) did phenomenal business in Tamil Nadu because it struck that emotional chord. The moment a film taps into patriotism, audiences look beyond labels or industries – they watch it as an Indian story.”
“It’s not a typical film like Border 2,” he adds, “Dhurandhar 2 leans more into a spy-driven narrative – something audiences can easily engage with. It feels contemporary and relatable, which helps it connect better.”
Film producer and distributor G Dhananjayan, while speaking to India Today, observed, “The top Hindi stars are always popular in the South – Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, Aamir Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Ranveer Singh, Ranbir Kapoor. They all have a strong following here.”
A PAN-INDIA RESET?
It’s no fluke. Post-Jawan, Hindi actioners are eyeing the South as cash cows. Trade guru Ramesh Bala quipped, “This opens floodgates. Expect more – think Akshay, Tiger, even Ajay Devgn dubbing southwards.”
“Going forward, Hindi films will do well in the South mainly if they belong to genres like action or high-scale drama – like Dhurandhar 2. Romantic or comedy films may remain limited to metro audiences,” Dhananjayan adds.
Yet, it’s more than moolah. Dhurandhar 2 signals unity in a fragmented industry. South gave pan-India its name; now Bollywood’s repaying with box-office fireworks.
Fans in Kochi cheer Ranveer like a local lad; Bengaluru memes his dialogues in Kannada. Barriers have been crumbled.
As one Twitterati put it: “From #BoycottBollywood to #DhurandharInTelugu – what a plot twist!”
So, here’s to Dhurandhar 2, the feisty underdog that roared loudest where it mattered. Three films – Pathaan, Jawan, and the new beast in town – hold the fort, but the path’s paved for an action blockbuster invasion.
South, you’ve been Dhurandhar-ed. Bollywood’s back, baby – and this time, it’s everyone’s game. Lights, camera, pan-India revolution!
– Ends
