Dhurandhar, the Indian espionage thriller directed by Aditya Dhar, has drawn strong audiences in Australia since its release on 5 December 2025. Trade tracking put its Australian gross at about A$3.2 million (US$2.1 million) in the first two weeks, and Indian trade reporting placed the worldwide total at roughly ₹665 crore, about US$73 million, by 19 December. Box Office Mojo records a cumulative Australian gross of about US$3.9 million.
Audiences in Australia have responded well to Dhurandhar’s performances and its mix of political intrigue and action, with consistent footfalls across major cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Perth. The film’s box office performance reflects strong word of mouth and repeat viewership, particularly among fans of political thrillers and realistic action dramas. Australia has been one of its strongest overseas markets, and the film has held its place on cinema screens across the country into mid-December.
Ranveer Singh leads the cast as Hamza, a young man recruited out of a Punjab prison into a covert operation that forms the film’s core. The film was certified as a work of fiction; a legal challenge citing the late Major Mohit Sharma was not upheld. His family had gone to the Delhi High Court to stop the release on the basis that the film drew on their son’s life, and the Central Board of Film Certification examined the script, found no connection and cleared the film for release. The certification cleared the way for the film to open as planned on 5 December.
The ensemble cast includes Akshaye Khanna as the antagonist Rehman Dakait, a role that adds psychological depth to the narrative. R. Madhavan appears as Ajay Sanyal, the Intelligence Bureau chief whose vision and resolve drive the mission at the heart of the story. Sanjay Dutt brings a commanding screen presence as S.P. Chaudhry Aslam, Karachi’s encounter specialist. Arjun Rampal portrays Major Iqbal, and Sara Arjun plays Yalina Jamali.
Set against the tense backdrop of the 1999 IC-814 hijacking and the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, Dhurandhar weaves fact and fiction into a story about a daring intelligence operation aimed at dismantling a network operating out of Pakistan. The story follows Sanyal as he recruits the young man from Punjab, jailed for a revenge crime, and begins to mould him into a covert operative capable of infiltrating Karachi’s underworld. Themes of patriotism, sacrifice, identity and the psychological cost of the work run through the film. A four-minute post-credits scene sets up a second instalment.
With steady momentum at the international box office and continued audience interest, Dhurandhar has become one of the year’s most visible Indian releases overseas. Its success points to the growing appetite for Indian cinema that combines real-world events with high-quality storytelling and production values. The Australian run has been among the film’s strongest overseas performances.
Sources: Box Office Mojo, “Dhurandhar” (boxofficemojo.com/releasegroup/gr3010810629/); Pinkvilla, “Dhurandhar Box Office: Ranveer Singh film tops 15 million overseas in two weeks for 665 crore worldwide” (pinkvilla.com/entertainment/box-office/dhurandhar-box-office-ranveer-singh-film-tops-15-million-overseas-in-two-weeks-for-665-crore-worldwide-1399285); Hindustan Times, “Dhurandhar synopsis leaked, explains if Ranveer Singh plays Major Mohit Sharma” (hindustantimes.com).
Photo: Yu Chu Chin, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
