Aditya Dhar Praises Ranveer Singh For 18 Hours, Netizens React, 'Is This A Jab At Deepika...'

The trailer of Dhurandhar just dropped, and ahead of its December release, it is already making headlines. At the trailer's launch event on November 18, 2025, in Mumbai, Aditya Dhar, the film's writer and director, spoke at length about the entire cast's commitment to making Dhurandhar a success. He even added that some of the cast members worked tirelessly on the set for 16-18 hours per day. While social media has been abuzz with praises for the trailer, Aditya Dhar's statement sparked a serious debate among movie fanatics about the working conditions in Bollywood.  

Aditya Dhar's views on Dhurandhar during the trailer launch event  

The trailer of the spy actioner, Dhurandhar, was launched at the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) in Mumbai on the morning of November 18, 2025. In the presence of the film's cast, including Ranveer Singh, director, Aditya Dhar gave everyone some insight into the journey that led to the film's making. He stated: 

“When we started this journey, there was a gap of five years when I hadn’t made a film, and when I started writing, somehow, I started getting hold of people who were there to prove themselves. Our teaser has a dialogue, ‘ghayal hu toh ghatak hu’, so all of them were ‘ghayal‘, but they performed in a very ‘ghatak’ way. It’s extraordinary.”

Aditya Dhar, who last helmed Uri: The Surgical Strike in 2019, marked his return in this ‘unprecedented work of cinema'. He continued to praise his crew's grit as he addressed the media. He stated: 

“Everybody has put their heart and soul into the film, and it doesn’t happen very often. The HODs got involved in the film with a pure intent. From actors, assistants, HODs to spot dadas — everybody was like iss film ke liye jaan deni hai. We have worked for 16-18 hours continuously for 1.5 years, and not even once has anyone complained ki sir aap hamse zyada kaam kara rahe ho. Everybody has given their 100%.”

How did the internet react to Aditya Dhar's statement? 

Ranveer Singh lauded Aditya Dhar's hard work and that of his own and the entire team's, claiming they ‘worked out of their skin' for this movie. However, Aditya Dhar's remarks on the crew's working hours sparked a debate on workplace culture in the Indian film industry. Reacting to Dhar's statement, a user on Instagram commented, “Wow, so we are now normalising exploitation. Extremely bad work ethics. I’m sure the lower wage workers have absolutely no choice but to say yes to this.” Another comment read, “This is not something to boast about.” 

Aditya Dhar's statement was meant as praise and came from a place of good intentions, but several social media users questioned the tone of Dhar's praise. This was the case, especially given Bollywood actress and Ranveer Singh's wife, Deepika Padukone's, recent push for a shorter and regular working schedule in the industry. Many fans started to wonder whether the director intentionally made a veiled jab at Deepika, commenting, “Is this a jab at Deepika speaking about the irregular work schedule?” Reflecting similar sentiments, another user said, “This seems like a dig at Deepika. Weird!” 

Do you think Dhurandhar’s filmmaker, Aditya Dhar, intentionally took a jab at Deepika Padukone? Let us know.  

Also read: Dhruv Rathee Slams The Violence In Dhurandhar, Compares It To ISIS Beheadings 'His Lust For Money..'

AWESOME NEWS! Now you can download BollywoodShaadis app and never miss a story. Get App

AWESOME NEWS! Now you can download BollywoodShaadis app and never miss a story. Choose your device Android or IOS (Apple)