Ramayana vs Dhurandhar 2: How Ranveer Singh film, with its gore and A-rating, beat Ranbir Kapoor-starrer's family-friendly appeal
Here's the latest update from the Bollywood world:
It is the most expensive Indian movie ever made. Ramayana 's exact budget, though, remains a mystery. Years ago, producer Namit Malhotra claimed the two parts were being made for $500 million ( ₹ 4000 crore rupees). More recent reports have claimed that Part 1 has a landing cost of ₹ 1600 crore rupees (approximately $175 million). Either way, Ramayana needs to make a ton of money to break even. In fact, it needs to out-earn the likes of Dhurandhar 2 and Pushpa 2 just to be profitable. But if the opening day and weekend have indicated anything, it’s that the crown of Ranveer Singh ’s Dhurandhar 2 is secure. And that is a curious thing. How did Ramayana, the story with the most universal appeal and devotional following, fail to unseat an A-rated violent spy thriller?
Adding to this, Dhurandhar 2 remains the highest-grossing Hindi movie in India. Dhurandhar 2’s edge over Ramayana Dhurandhar: The Revenge arrived with unprecedented hype when it rolled out this March. The smash hit success of part 1 meant that advance bookings for the sequel reached never-before-seen numbers. The Aditya Dhar movie gave pan-India behemoths a run for their money, becoming the first Bollywood movie to earn ₹ 100 crore rupees in a day domestically and ₹ 200 crore rupees worldwide. Ramayana should have emulated these numbers, given its massive scale and wide overseas rollout. Yet, it had to settle for ₹ 65 crore rupees in India and ₹ 128 crore rupees worldwide. These are staggering numbers for any movie without a ₹ 1600+ crore rupees budget. But sadly, Ramayana does not fall in that category.
Meanwhile, The edge Dhurandhar 2 had was its appeal as a sequel to a revered movie. The timing of the rollout also mattered. Part 2 arrived just three months after Part 1. In fact, the first Dhurandhar was still playing in theatres when The Revenge rolled out. The movie's nationalistic themes and slick production values also added to its appeal.
Notably, But the biggest surprise is that Dhurandhar 2 offset an A-rating and abundant gore with its hype. On paper, Ramayana should draw crowds by the dozen, with families also raring to go to the theatres en masse. But that universal appeal wasn’t enough to outdo Dhurandhar 2’s hype, at least in the opening weekend.
As per the latest buzz, Over the last decade, Ranveer Singh and Ranbir Kapoor have been hyped up as the best - and most bankable - stars of their generation. Vicky Kaushal has attempted to enter the fray with Uri and Chhaava, but the larger conversation centres on Ranbir and Ranveer. With Animal, Ranbir seemed to pull ahead before Ranveer reigned supreme with the two Dhurandhars. Ramayana was being seen as Ranbir’s turn to stake the throne again, but it hasn’t quite panned out that way. The Nitesh Tiwari-directed movie collected 36% less than Dhurandhar 2 on its opening day and 32% less over its first four days (including the extended weekend).
In further updates, The post-Diwali break is bound to diminish the gap, but unless word of mouth really kicks in, Ramayana may not be able to overtake Dhurandhar 2 any time soon. That means the movie’s hope of breaching the ₹ 2000-crore rupees mark may remain just a dream. Dhurandhar 2 missed that mark by about ₹ 150 crore rupees. Ramayana would have to see a great surge overseas to beat Dhurandhar 2 there.
On top of that, Produced by Namit Malhotra’s Prime Focus Studios in collaboration with DNEG and Yash’s Monster Mind Creations, Ramayana is the first part of a duology. The movie stars Ranbir Kapoor as Lord Rama, Sai Pallavi as Sita, Yash as Ravana, and Ravie Dubey as Lakshman. The first part rolled out worldwide on November 5, while the second part is set for rollout on Diwali 2028.
Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Movie Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world. Read More
Source: Hindustan Times