Rightly is it said that there are no fixed rules in film business. It takes just one Friday to break what may be an age-old rule and, likewise, to make a new rule. Before the release of Dhurandhar, the multi-starrer had everything going wrong for it — as per trade norms, that is.
Its running time of 214 minutes was outrageously dangerous because, according to know-alls, the audience today does not have the patience or the attention span to watch a film which is of two hours and 34 minutes’ duration. The trailer suggested that the film had several scenes which were not just violent but gruesome too. Some in the trade circles described them as “cringe scenes”. “Who will want to watch a film where you automatically shut your eyes in such terrifyingly horrific scenes of violence?” the trade wondered. In their further defense, they even spoke about the ‘A’ certificate of the film. “Since it is certified for adults only, a good chunk of the audience will be lost,” claimed the so-called trade gurus. And so, they added, the film was bound to flop because on the one hand was its heavy budget and on the other, its restricted appeal due to the aforementioned reasons.
Before its release, several Smart Alecs even dismissed off the film merely because it dealt with the India-versus-Pakistan theme and cross-border terrorism. “Now, nobody wants to see this Pakistan-bashing stuff,” announced a producer with almost 40 years of experience — and with such authority, people would be led to believe that the film had already been released and had flopped.
All of the above and similar sentiments were shared before the film’s release. And mind you, all this before anyone had even seen the film! But what happened after the film’s release?
The paying public never complained about the film’s length, didn’t fret and fume over the raw violence in the film, didn’t think at all that it was the similar India-versus-Pakistan drama seen in earlier films. Rather, they clapped and whistled in the screenings. They came out of the cinema halls, gushing over the film they had seen. These were the general sentiments. There may have been instances of people who found the film too lengthy or overtly violent. But they were in a minority. And hence the film was pronounced a hit, a super-hit.
I can talk about my reaction while watching the film. For those who haven’t still seen the film, let it be mentioned here that it is divided into various chapters. The name of each chapter flashes on the screen before it begins. The last chapter is called that. So when the words ‘Last Chapter’ flashed on the screen, my first reaction was, “Oh no, it’s getting over! Itni jaldi?!” Yes, some of the violent scenes did evoke a close-my-eyes reaction from me but would I say that the violence was cringe? Not at all!
Frankly, the public had had a similar reaction for Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal when it was released. That film was also very lengthy and very violent. Imagine, despite the runaway success of Animal, people in the trade predicted doomsday for Dhurandhar — and for the same three reasons, excessive length, crazy violence and ‘A’ certification. They conveniently forgot to appreciate that these three ‘negative’ points had already gone in favour of a film and, therefore, to predict that a film with the same three ‘drawbacks’ would flop would be foolhardiness. But the fools rushed where angels would fear to tread. And they had to eat humble pie when the audience gave Dhurandhar a terrific response — just like they had given Animal.
As for the India-Pakistan theme, Dhurandhar was like no other earlier film made on the same subject due to one big difference. While all the earlier films showed what India was doing to combat Pakistani terrorism, with just a glimpse about the action in Pakistan, Dhurandhar gave us an account of what was happening in Pakistan, with occasional scenes showing the movement and planning in India. That itself is such a huge difference that nobody felt, he was watching an oft-repeated subject unfold on the screen.
Moral of the story:
1) Never judge a film by its length because there is something known as content strength.
2) Never jump to conclusions merely on one point — in this case, excessive action. In the overall scheme of things, a point that may appear negative in the trailer, might not be a sore point when a film is viewed in its entirety.
3) Never pronounce a film’s fate before its release merely because it is certified for adults only.
4) Never be in a hurry to write the obituary of a film — at least not before it is released.