‘Dhurandhar Could Run Because You Walked’: Aditya Dhar Tells Ram Gopal Varma, Credits Him for Taking Risks

‘Dhurandhar Could Run Because You Walked’: At the box office, Ranveer Singh's film Dhurandhar is proving to be unstoppable. On December 5, Aditya Dhar's spy thriller hit theatres. A few days ago, director Ram Gopal Varma praised the movie and referred to it as a "quantum leap" in Indian filmmaking. Aditya now attributes his inspiration to Ram Gopal Varma's works and his willingness to take chances when "it was the hardest."

What RGV said

RGV took to his X account on Sunday and reacted to a post stating that several directors, ranging from SS Rajamouli to Sandeep Reddy Vanga and Aditya Dhar, have revealed that they were influenced by his films. RGV created gritty and powerful action dramas, including Satya, Siva, Company, and Sarkar.

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In the caption, RGV wrote, “This reminds me of a female model who became immensely popular in a soap commercial .. The owner of the brand asked his board. “Ok, we made the model popular, but what about the soap?” Likewise, it sounds nice that i INSPIRED all these great directors to become GREAT, but when will me, the INSPIRER, become GREAT ?"

This reminds me of a female model who became immensely popular in a soap commercial .. The owner of the brand asked his board

“ Ok , we made the model popular , but what about the soap ? “

Likewise it sounds nice that i INSPIRED all these great directors to become GREAT , but… https://t.co/L3dmPYP0WR

— Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) December 21, 2025

Aditya replied to this post, and wrote, “Ramu sir, you took the risks when it was the hardest!! At a time when there were no templates, no safety nets and no guarantee that things would work. Dhurandhar could run because you walked first sir. Some paths don’t end with applause. They end in creating a legacy!”

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Earlier, Aditya had shared that he came to Mumbai with the dream of working with him one day. “I came to Mumbai years ago carrying one suitcase, one dream, and an unreasonable belief that I would one day work under Ram Gopal Verma. That never happened. But somewhere along the way, without knowing it, I worked inside your cinema. Your films didn’t teach me how to make movies — they taught me how to think dangerously,” he said.

He also called RGV one of his favourite directors, and added, “You were one of my favourite directors who made Indian cinema feel fearless, impolite, and alive. If Dhurandhar has even a fraction of that DNA, it’s because your films whispered (sometimes screamed) in my head while I was writing and directing it.”

About Dhurandhar

The plot of Dhurandhar centres on Hamza, an Indian spy who joins Rehman Dakait's group by deeply infiltrating Pakistan. The movie gives viewers a glimpse into the India-Pakistan conflict by drawing inspiration from actual events, such as the 2001 Parliament attack and the 26/11 Mumbai terror strike. Important parts are also played by Akshaye Khanna, R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, Sara Arjun, and Rakesh Bedi. On March 19, 2026, the second half will be released in theatres.

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