Dhurandhar: The 8-Hour Saga That Cost ₹255 Crores

The ambitious project 'Dhurandhar,' directed by Aditya Dhar, was initially conceived as a single film. However, its runtime dramatically expanded during production, necessitating a split into two separate installments to manage its near 8-hour total length. This expansion was driven by director Aditya Dhar's realization that short montages were evolving into major, impactful scenes, with individual scenes lengthening significantly from their initial planned duration.

For instance, a scene intended to be just 10 seconds long reportedly required two minutes to film. Similarly, the introduction of Arjun Rampal's character, Major Iqbal, which was initially slated for two-and-a-half minutes, grew to eight to nine minutes. Despite these extensive additions and on-set dialogue enhancements, the final output remained remarkably close to the original script.

The combined shooting budget for both parts of Dhurandhar has been revealed to be approximately ₹255 crores. While 'Uri' had a daily shooting expenditure around 11 to 12 lakhs higher, the immense scale of 'Dhurandhar' still represents a significant financial undertaking. Dhar personally helmed most of the crucial sequences, emphasizing his hands-on approach to realizing his vision.