3 min readNew DelhiMar 22, 2026 02:35 PM IST
Anyone who has watched the Dhurandhar franchise—both the prequel and the latest sequel—knows that the films are relentlessly high on action from start to finish. The intense brutality has drawn criticism from some quarters, with several viewers admitting they had to look away during certain scenes. For action enthusiasts, however, it has been nothing short of a spectacle. At the heart of this visceral storytelling is action director Aejaz Gulab, who recently revealed that director Aditya Dhar gave the team complete freedom to push the boundaries of brutality.
Speaking to Hindi Rush, Aejaz shared, “We had shot all the brutality in detail, but what you see in the film is just 60%. Since we’re in the OTT era and kids may eventually watch it, we had to tone it down.”
Elaborating on the creative process, he added, “Aditya Dhar gave us full freedom. He said, ‘Aejaz bhai, think as brutal as you can. Kill in the most intense ways you can imagine.’ And we did exactly that, while he added his directorial touch. Aditya is extremely calm and sharp-minded, but when it comes to action, his thinking operates on a completely different level.”
While several sequences were meticulously planned and rehearsed, others were conceived on the spot. Recalling a particularly violent moment, Aejaz Gulab said the scene where Hamza uses debris to smash an aide of Major Iqbal inside a masjid was improvised during filming. “A lot of ideas were created on the spot. Aditya wanted the action to feel ‘manly’—not just simple pushes or throws,” he explained.
The film’s grand climax, which runs for over 30 minutes, was especially demanding. “The masjid sequence alone took six days of rehearsal and 14 days to shoot. Maintaining continuity was extremely challenging. Every department—from hair and makeup to costume—worked tirelessly, taking reference photos after each shot to recreate the same look with precision the next day,” he said.
Aejaz also broke down the intense chain fight between Arjun Rampal and Ranveer Singh, where Rampal’s character nearly strangles Ranveer’s character. “We obviously couldn’t use a real chain, so we designed a rubber prop. It wouldn’t cut the skin, but it still caused pain—and Ranveer bore it. So did Arjun. Both of them got injured multiple times during that climax,” he revealed.
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Despite the injuries, neither actor slowed down. “They wouldn’t stop—even during rehearsals, they pushed each other for real. They were so immersed in the scene that even after getting hurt, they refused to take breaks. We use lighter props for safety, but when used with force, they still hurt. In that chain sequence, we even had to stretch Ranveer Singh’s eyes when Arjun tightened the chain around his face,” he added.
Summing up the action design, Aejaz concluded, “The sequences are a blend of dummy props, clever camera work, and computer graphics.”
