As Dhurandhar continues to divide audiences and ignite heated online debates over its violent content, actor R. Madhavan has finally responded to the wave of negative early reviews, and he says the reaction doesn’t surprise him at all. Reflecting on similar phases in his career, Madhavan believes the film’s long-term impact will ultimately overpower its early critics.
Madhavan Recalls Rang De Basanti and Three Idiots Backlash
In a recent interview with Puja Talwar, the actor revealed that he anticipated the backlash well before the film’s release. “From the very beginning, I knew this was going to impact society. There will be people who will first give it very bad ratings,” he said. Madhavan compared the response to what he witnessed during the releases of Rang De Basanti and Three Idiots, both of which faced polarised reactions initially but later emerged as landmark films.
According to Madhavan, early negative reviewers often fade away, while the work continues to resonate with audiences over time.
“The people who gave two ratings have become irrelevant. We are still in the industry. I’m not saying this out of spite; you’re just missing the point. It’s time to evolve,” he asserted, adding that actors, filmmakers and critics alike must grow with changing storytelling styles.
Madhavan on Pre-Release Doubts
The actor also recalled how films are sometimes written off even before they reach audiences. Citing Rang De Basanti as an example, he spoke about the scepticism it faced, including distributors backing out and media predictions of failure.
Seeing Dhurandhar go through a similar phase didn’t rattle him. “When this happened with Dhurandhar, I thought, been there, done that.,” he said.
Madhavan took aim at reviewers and YouTube commentators who declare films ‘disasters’ within hours of release, often without fully engaging with their context or narrative intent. For him, a film’s true worth lies in its lasting cultural and emotional impact, not its opening-day online verdict.
“As actors, we dream of these situations, when everyone says it’s a stupid film, nothing will happen… and then it blows up. You haven’t seen the end yet,” he added, expressing confidence that Dhurandhar will be judged more fairly with time.
Since its release, Dhurandhar has received mixed responses. While several critics and viewers have praised its ambitious scale, performances and intense spy-drama elements, others have pointed out issues such as its long runtime, pacing and narrative choices.
Despite the debate, the Ranveer Singh-led film has performed impressively at the box office. It crossed the Rs 200 crore mark domestically within its first week and has collected over Rs 300 crore worldwide in its opening days, making it one of the most commercially successful Hindi films of the year so far.
