Feb 22, 2026 11:47am IST
Ram Gopal Varma On ‘Dhurandhar 2’ vs ‘Toxic’ Clash: ‘One Respects The Audience’s Intelligence, The Other Presumes Their Dumbness’
We are now less than a month away from March 19, 2026, when Ranveer Singh-led "Dhurandhar: The Revenge" ("Dhurandhar 2") will clash with Yash’s "Toxic" at the worldwide box office. Varma, who has been vocal about his admiration for the Aditya Dhar directorial for months, spoke about the showdown and once again appeared to side with his preferred film.
In a post on X, Varma shared a detailed opinion on the two films going head-to-head, noting that both have strong audiences. In the same post, he said that while "Dhurandhar" respects the audience’s intelligence, "Toxic" presumes their dumbness. The "Satya" director invoked the David-and-Goliath metaphor to describe how each film is massive in its own space, yet smaller than the other in different respects.
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Varma 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 principal difference between the two is that ‘Dhurandhar’ respects the audience’s intelligence and ‘Toxic’ presumes their dumbness. K.G.F: Chapter 2 was a LOCAL film that aimed at the DUMBNESS in the MASSES, and ‘Dhurandhar’ aims at the INTELLIGENCE in the MASSES.”
He continued, “THAT is exactly why it became GLOBAL. ‘Dhurandhar,’ a reported ₹130-crore DAVID film (both versions together costing some ₹260 crore), hit around ₹1,500 crore, 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.’ So on March 19, when the lights in theatres go down across the world, two DAVIDS and two GOLIATHS will be fighting a BATTLE — the fight will be between these 10 SAVAGE, brutal truths.”
Varma then listed 10 points, including mindless hero worship vs audiences discovering heroes themselves, gravity-defying stunts vs raw, realistic action, and shaping one person as a god vs giving the entire cast space.
Concluding the post, Varma wrote, “NO, it is not my love for @AdityaDharFilms that made me write this, but my HOPE for INDIAN CINEMA. I am waiting with bated breath for MARCH 19 to know if INDIA is ‘DHURANDHAR’ or ‘TOXIC’.”
THE #Dhuroxic PARK
— Ram Gopal Varma (@RGVzoomin) February 22, 2026
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…
Read More About: Dhurandhar, Ram Gopal Varma, Toxic
Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma, in a long social media post, has weighed in on the clash between 'Dhurandhar: The Revenge' and 'Toxic,' slated for March 19, 2026, stating that the battle is not about North vs South.
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