Action director Aejaz Gulab recently opened up about the action sequences in Dhurandhar: The Revenge amid the backlash and criticism over gory scenes. He shared that the scenes were grounded in emotion and realism. Gulab also revealed that director Aditya Dhar gave him complete creative freedom to work on the film`s intense action scenes.
Aejaz Gulab on directing action in Dhurandhar 2
Gulab, who has an elaborate filmography spanning over 500 projects, including Shootout at Lokhandwala, Ek Villain, and series like The Family Man and Rana Naidu, saus Dhurandhar has finally brought him long-overdue recognition. Gulab also called Dhurandhar a “career-defining milestone.” While speaking to PTI, Gulab shared, “People used to praise action in South films. It feels good that action in Hindi films is finally being appreciated.”
The action director added that nearly 135 days were spent filming action sequences in the film, after around 70 days of rigorous preparation. Unlike many Bollywood productions wherein the action is often curbed by time and budgets, Gulab revealed that Aditya Dhar allowed him the space to plan extensively.
“The action is part fiction, part reality. Aditya sir gave me a free hand to do whatever I wanted,” Gulab said, adding he crafted every sequence keeping the story, characters, and their emotional intensity in mind before being refined with the director’s inputs. For the film, the action director led a large team comprising seven assistants, 12 stuntwomen, and close to 300 stunt performers.
In order to achieve a global scale, he even collaborated with international stunt directors, Yannick Ben and Sea-Young Oh, both of whom are known for their work across Hollywood and major Indian films.
Aejaz Gulab reacts to criticism
In the interview, Gulab further addressed criticism over the film’s brutality, saying that the tone was dictated by the narrative. “The script demanded that we design action sequences in a brutal way. The film is about the underworld and gangsters, and these people are known for their ruthless acts. It’s not mindless action; the action is backed by emotion,” he said
He further pointed out that certain scenes were drawn from real-life incidents and hence designed to maintain authenticity. “If we did it differently, it would look fake because the audience has seen the news footage,” he noted.
Despite its scale, the action director said the team exercised moderation. “We could have done much more terrifying things, but we did only 60 per cent of it, keeping the censor board and public sensitivity in mind,” he said.
