‘Dhurandhar 2’ Vs ‘Toxic’ Clash is Unfortunate, says ‘Kaante’ Director Sanjay Gupta: ‘People Don’t Have Money Flowing To Watch Two Films Back-To-Back’ (EXCLUSIVE)

The epic clash between Ranveer Singh’s “Dhurandhar 2” and Yash starrer “Toxic” has been the talking point not only among the fans but also in the entertainment industry.

While this box-office battle will lead to a division of screens, impacting the collections at the ticket windows, filmmaker Sanjay Gupta calls this battle unfortunate and opines that both films will eat into each other’s business.

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Calling “Dhurandhar” a ‘phenomenon,’ Gupta tells Variety India that he has high expectations for the second part. “I really enjoyed the first part. And the thing is that I'm a filmmaker myself, and I know that I have a lot of followers who wait for my recommendations. But the one thing I never do is if I don't like something, I never mention it. Because see, everybody works hard for their film or for their show. So, if I didn't like it, I didn't like it. I should just shut up and mind my own business. But if I like something, then I like to share it. And with “Dhurandhar 2,” I have a vague idea of where the story is going to go and all of that. We're going to have Hamza's (Ranveer Singh’s character) backstory, why he became, who he is, and all of that. See, 'Dhurandhar' is a phenomenon. It's something that I won't call a film, it's a phenomenon, it's happened.”

Talking about the big clash between “Toxic” and “Dhurandhar 2,” the filmmaker known for helming “Zinda,” “Kaante” and “Shootout at Wadala,” Gupta shares that he will watch both films, but they won’t accomplish their individual capacity. The director says, “I will watch both the films, but, unfortunately, both are coming together, because they're so highly awaited. And they will just eat into each other's business.”

Comparing the scenario with his film "Kaabil" featuring Hrithik Roshan and Shah Rukh Khan’s “Raees,” which clashed in 2017, he adds, “It's like when my movie ‘Kaabil’ released with ‘Raees.’ Both films would have benefited if they had been released individually and not clashed. Because we have to take into account that we are not a super-rich country, and our people don't have money flowing that they can just go and watch two films back-to-back. There are many people who can't watch two films in one month. It's unnecessary, but again, the makers probably have their reasons. Both films will do well, but neither will accomplish their individual capacity. So, it's unfortunate.”

“Dhurandhar 2” and “Toxic” will arrive on March 19 during the festive weekend of Eid at the box office. While the spy action thriller is helmed by Aditya Dhar, the period gangster drama is directed by Geetu Mohandas.