Feb 11, 2026 1:27pm IST
‘Dhurandhar’ Director Aditya Dhar and Jio Studios Renew First-Look Deal for Another Two Years (EXCLUSIVE)
“Uri: The Surgical Strike” and “Dhurandhar” director Aditya Dhar is set to continue his association with Jio Studios, as they have renewed their exclusive first-look deal for another two years, Variety India has exclusively learned. Dhar will develop and produce multiple projects for the studio, including his next directorial.
Aditya and Lokesh Dhar's B62 Studios first entered into a two-year deal with Jio Studios in 2023. They have since collaborated on five projects — “Article 370,” ‘Dhoom Dhaam,” “Baramulla” and the two parts of “Dhurandhar.” This partnership proved to be mutually successful, particularly after the historical box-office victory of “Dhurandhar.” Sources say the companies quietly renewed their multi-year, multi-film agreement right before the release of “Dhurandhar” on December 5 last year, affirming their supportive and creatively empowering relationship.
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Aditya was initially supposed to direct the large-scale, VFX-heavy “The Immortal Ashwatthama” for Jio Studios, with Vicky Kaushal essaying the lead role. However, the film was eventually shelved due to budgetary constraints. The filmmaker is now believed to have moved on from that project, with no intention of its revival. While he is expected to decide on his next directorial project only after the release of “Dhurandhar 2,” he and the studio are keen to collaborate with Ranveer Singh again. Aditya has even discussed a mythological actioner with the Bollywood star, but it is early days yet.
The filmmaker is currently finalizing the edits for “Dhurandhar: The Revenge,” scheduled to release in theaters on March 19, 2026. The sequel is said to be bigger and better than the first part, which was released on December 5 last year, and has emerged as the biggest-ever Indian film at the domestic box office, accumulating over ₹838 crore net in India and ₹1305 crore gross worldwide to date. The “Dhurandhar” sequel also stars Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun, Rakesh Bedi and Danish Pandor, among others.
We reached out to Jio Studios for confirmation, however, we are yet to hear back from them.
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