The success of Dhurandhar was not only cinematic but civilisational. When audiences rose to their feet as credits rolled on December 5, they were not merely celebrating a film’s craft. In its triumph lay the signal that the nationalist mood of India had moved from politics to popular imagination, that cinema audiences had begun dictating the nation’s emotional narrative rather than following it. Throughout 2025, Hindi cinema experienced what industry analysts called a “steady flow of steady performers”, rather than dependence on blockbuster spectacles. For decades, Hindi cinema had lived through the boom-bust cycle where two or three massive releases carried the annual load.

Source: Indian Express December 28, 2025 12:43 UTC