Ram Gopal Varma says Toxic-Dhurandhar 2 clash isn’t north vs south, but ‘treating audience like dumb vs respecting them’
Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma has stirred the pot around the much-anticipated box office clash between Yash’s Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown Ups and Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar: The Revenge. He asserted that the clash goes beyond geography and is instead a duel between two distinct cinematic sensibilities.
RGV remarked that while Dhurandhar appears to place faith in the audience’s intelligence, Toxic, as he put it, “presumes their dumbness”.
RGV on Dhurandhar 2 and Toxic clash
On Sunday, the filmmaker took to X, formerly known as Twitter, to share a lengthy note addressing the impending big-screen clash between the two mega-budget films.
“THE #Dhuroxic PARK… NO, I am not talking about TWO BIG FILMS #Dhurandhar2 and #Toxic releasing on March 19th. I am actually talking about a NEVER BEFORE SEEN or EXPERIENCED mythical archetype EXPLODING in the GRAND ARENA of INDIAN CINEMAS. It is a BATTLE between DAVID AND GOLIATH,” RGV wrote.
The filmmaker continued, “KGF 2’s GOlIATH like collections suddenly looked like a tiny DAVID in front of #Dhurandar ‘s GOLIATH collections. But now the sequel to that GOLIATH #Dhurandhar2 , is the new DAVID staring up at #Toxic, the fresh GOLIATH.”
For Ram Gopal Varma, the clash isn’t about regions at all, but rather a face-off between two distinct cinematic worlds and their storytelling styles. He wrote, “I strongly believe that #Dhuroxic is not about North against South, not Bollywood against Sandalwood. It is actually a brutal clash between two CULTURES , not of regions, but of cinema.”
The filmmaker feels that the makers of Dhurandhar respect the audience’s intelligence, while the makers of Toxic “presumes their dumbness”.
RGV shared, “The principal difference between the two is that #Dhurandhar respects the audience’s intelligence and #Toxic presumes their dumbness. KGF 2 was a LOCAL film that aimed at the DUMBNESS in the MASSES and Dhurandhar aimed at the INTELLIGENCE in the MASSES. THAT is exactly why it became GLOBAL.
“#Dhurandhar a reported 130 cr DAVID film (both versions together cost some 260 cr) hit some 1500 cr, proving that the so called MASSES are actually far more INTELLIGENT than what the MASALA MERCHANTS ever imagined. It is IMPORTANT to note that @AdityaDharFilms never once presumed the audience was dumb, but after the film released, the MASSES answered in a thundering, earth-shaking voice: “YES, WE ARE ACTUALLY THAT INTELLIGENT… THANK YOU FOR NOTICING’,” he added.
The savage battle
According to RGV, when the lights dim in theatres worldwide, the real showdown will be between “mindless hero worship” and stories where heroes are discovered organically through the narrative, among other contrasts he pointed out.
He listed, “Mindless hero worship VERSUS the audience themselves discovering heroes through their moral actions in the story… GRAVITY defying stunts that mock physics and insult every school kid whoever studied NEWTON ,VERSUS the #Dhurandhar action so raw and real one actually feels the punches.”
“Background scores that scream “CLAP AND WHISTLE NOW, YOU IDIOTS” every five minutes VERSUS dead silence that lets brilliant performances do the TALKING… 700 cr spent to make ONE guy look like an invincible God versus 130 cr spent to make EVERY character in #Dhurandhar feel equally human,” he pointed.
RGV continued, “Treating AUDIENCES like db i**s who must clap and whistle on every CUE versus treating them like adults who can follow a complex plot, make their own judgements and don’t need to be spoon fed by EAR SHATTERING background music… Ultra slow motion hero entry shots and flying hair straight out of a shampoo ad VERSUS cold, calculating intelligence that actually challenges the viewer… Reducing Indian cinema to a mass-hero worship ritual VERSUS cinema that excavates the intelligence hidden inside the masses minds.”
“Vulgar budgets blown on VFX fireworks, eyesore sets and stars just to hide creative vaccum VERSUS every single rupee in #Dhurandhar spent on crafting lethal, immersive emotions that stay with you forever. A film that begs the audience to switch their brains off to enjoy it versus a film forcing you to think, feel and question every frame. MONEY being POURED versus MONEY being PUT TO USE,” he added.
The filmmaker wrapped with a disclaimer, writing, “NO, it is not my love for @AdityaDharFilms which made me write this”.
“But it is my HOPE for INDIAN CINEMA. I am waiting with bated breath for MARCH 19th to know if INDIA is DHURANDHAR or TOXIC,” he concluded.
About Dhurandhar 2 and Toxic
Dhurandhar: The Revenge is sequel to 2025 blockbuster Dhurandhar. Aditya Dhar’s spy thriller will explore the backstory of Ranveer’s character Hamza and depict him completing his mission by taking over a criminal syndicate in Pakistan, culminating in an intense showdown with Arjun Rampal’s character. It also features Sanjay Dutt, Sara Arjun and R Madhavan.
Meanwhile, Toxic is also set to present a narrative steeped in shades of gore and violence. Written by Yash and Geetu Mohandas and directed by Geetu Mohandas, Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups features Yash in the lead alongside Kiara Advani, Nayanthara, Huma Qureshi, Rukmini Vasanth, and Tara Sutaria. It marks Yash’s first film since the KGF franchise. It is produced by Venkat K Narayana and Yash under the banners of KVN Productions and Monster Mind Creations. Both films are slated to release on March 19.
