Amid the ongoing debate over the need for an eight-hour workday in movie sets, which ensued following Deepika Padukone’s exit from Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Spirit and Nag Ashwin’s Kalki 2898 AD, after she reportedly raised the same demand, director Aditya Dhar maintained that they worked for over 16 hours on most days.

The director made this remark with Deepika’s husband Ranveer Singh by his side. “We have worked 16-18 hours continuously for 1.5 years. Yet, not once did anyone complain about the workload. Everybody has given their 100 per cent, including Ranveer Singh.”

Recalling Aditya Dhar’s reaction when he pointed out that a similar movie had never been attempted in Hindi cinema before, Ranveer Singh said the director responded that it was his aim as well. “There was a time when we used to discuss movies like Sicario, Zero Dark Thirty, Munich, and American Gangster. We want to be counted among the most elite movies in the genre in the world.”

Pointing out that Aditya Dhar is making a comeback as a director after six years since Uri: The Surgical Strike, Ranveer Singh stated that the filmmaker is “absolutely unflinching and uncompromising in his vision and execution.” Ranveer added, “He never settles for anything less than what he’s dreamed of. What he’s created with Dhurandhar is an absolutely unprecedented work of cinema.”

Revealing that Madhavan spent three to four hours every day in prosthetics for his look as Ajay Sanyal, Ranveer Singh pointed out that many couldn’t even believe it was Madhavan when they first saw the teaser. “You are an absolute masterclass. Your performances, particularly in Mani Ratnam movies, are the ones that we would proudly flaunt to the world to show that we, too, have such talented actors. You have absolutely killed it in Dhurandhar. I can’t wait for the world to see it.”

Speaking on the occasion, Ranveer Singh said, “It’s massy without trying to be massy. It’s impeccably credible, yet absolutely commercial. It has managed to hit that sweet spot we always aspire to achieve.”

Calling the trailer absolutely “insane,” Ranveer Singh expressed that he is extremely proud to have been a part of Dhurandhar. Speaking on the occasion, he said, “I am so happy that I got to be a part of something where we have tried to push for more; to take our cinema to the world. It’s India’s moment on the world stage now, and we want to be at the centre of it. We want to present Indian cinema on the global stage.”

During the trailer launch of Dhurandhar, the makers revealed that casting director Mukesh Chhabra conducted 1,300 auditions before casting Sara Arjun in the role.

Unlike the teaser that the makers unveiled earlier this year, Dhurandhar’s trailer doesn’t give Ranveer Singh’s character a massive build-up. Instead, when he first appears on screen, we see him with a calm and composed demeanour, ready to step into Lyari Town. In contrast, R Madhavan enters the frame with a bang, making the strong statement, “To land a punch, you must make a fist first. We must infiltrate the very core of terrorism in Pakistan. So, if they think of harming India even in their sleep, they should see only us in their dreams.”

In Dhurandhar, Madhavan plays Ajay Sanyal of Indian Intelligence, presented as the “Charioteer of Karma”.

The trailer of the highly anticipated action thriller Dhurandhar, starring Ranveer Singh in the lead role, has finally been unveiled, sending excitement through the roof. The four-minute promo video not only offers a tantalising overview of Dhurandhar’s crimson-stained world but also provides glimpses of its various characters. “Inspired by incredible true events,” the promotional video reveals that the movie deals with terrorism and India’s efforts to “infiltrate the very core of terrorism in Pakistan.” The trailer also makes it clear that Dhurandhar will be Ranveer Singh’s most violent film yet.