Mumbai: With two highly-anticipated films ‘Dhurandhar 2’ and ‘Toxic’ set to clash at the box office in March, fans have started speculating which one will win the battle.
According to filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, this is a clash between realistic and unrealistic cinema.
“D (Dhurandhar) is built on cause leading to effect and consequence. It reveals that violence has moral, psychological and political foundations. The characters act because they must, not because they will look cool. It believes the audience is intelligent. In T (Toxic), style precedes logic. Violence exists to display attitude, not necessity. T assumes the audience wants stimulation, not emotional engagement like D,” RGV wrote on his X handle.
He added that ‘Dhurandhar’ showcases grim reality, whereas ‘Toxic’ sells fantasy.
RGV also noted that Ranveer’s film “speaks in silence. Its camera behaves like a witness; frames are observational and editing respects time, geography and narrative,” whereas Yash’s film “shouts. Its camera behaves like a master; slow motion bloats reality and editing manufactures non-existent intensity.”
The filmmaker further said that the clash between the two films would answer questions such as, “Will the Dhurandhar audience still root for the same dark hero walking in slow motion? Will smoking in slow motion still equal depth of character? Will violence still be fine just for the sake of spectacle? Watching #Dhuroxic side by side on March 19 will be like being inside a war zone versus standing next to a fashion shoot.”
He concluded, “One is cinema that cuts into flesh. The other is cinema that poses for the camera. #Dhuroxic won’t be just another clash — it will be a collision between truth and styling. It could mark the beginning of the end of hero worship ushered in by pan-India blockbusters from the South, where audiences stop becoming devotees and scoff at bulletproof masculinity, wanting relatable humans instead of gods. Or it could be the other way round — only God and the audience will know.”
. #Dhuroxic on March 19th will be the ultimate clash between ultra realistic cinema and ultra unrealistic cinema
D is built on cause , leading to effect and consequence.
It reveals that violence has moral, psychological, and political foundations.
The Characters act because they…— Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) January 13, 2026
Directed by Geetu Mohandas, ‘Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups’ also stars Nayanthara, Tara Sutaria, Huma Qureshi, Kiara Advani and Rukmini Vasanth in key roles.
‘Dhurandhar 2’, on the other hand, is helmed by Aditya Dhar, and also stars Akshaye Khanna, R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal and Sanjay Dutt reprising their roles, along with Sara Arjun, Rakesh Bedi and Danish Pandor.
