Ranveer Singh’s absence from promotional campaign for Dhurandhar was deliberate decision, according to marketing head Varun Gupta, who also shared insights into the team’s approach.
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Dhurandhar marketing head on Ranveer Singh’s no-promotion strategy (PC: IMDb)
The success of Dhurandhar and its sequel, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, has made the franchise a major talking point in Indian cinemaHowever, before the first film arrived in theatres, its promotional strategy faced questions, with some people feeling that the makers were not creating enough buzzRanveer Singh’s absence from the usual promotional activities also drew attentionNow, Varun Gupta, founder of Max Marketing, the agency behind the films’ campaigns, has opened up about the decisions that shaped their publicity.
Why Ranveer Singh did not promote Dhurandhar
In a conversation with Everyday Empires podcast, Varun Gupta explained that the decision to keep Ranveer Singh away from the usual promotional campaign was deliberateThe team, including the actor, director and producer, agreed to let the film and its promotional material speak for themselves instead of relying on interviews and public appearances by the lead star.
Gupta compared the strategy with the approach taken for Ranbir Kapoor and Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s AnimalHe pointed out that Kapoor had appeared in Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar before Animal arrived, while Ranveer had not enjoyed a particularly successful run before DhurandharThe team therefore decided to take a different route.
“Ranbir had Tu Jhoothi Main Makkaar before Animal released, Ranveer Singh had not had a great run before DhurandharThere was a very conscious decision between us, the director, the producer and the actorWe were like, ‘Okay, let the film and its assets talkLet the actors not talk.’”
Aditya Dhar’s calm response to pre-release criticism
Gupta also recalled how the team dealt with criticism before Dhurandhar reached cinemasSome reports questioned the film’s promotional campaign and claimed that it lacked sufficient buzzHowever, according to Gupta, Dhar did not panic or question the marketing team’s decisions.
“There were times when articles would come out saying the promotions were bad and there was no buzzAditya would just send them to me and say, ‘It’s all okay.’ There were no questions askedThat kind of trust makes you want to do anything for themYou become their warriorsI’m happy the film worked because everyone put a lot into itBut Aditya and Ranveer Singh, specifically, put in a lot beyond what they should have as a director and an actorI’m happy for everyone associated with it.”
Varun Gupta on film marketing and criticism
During the podcast conversation, Gupta also spoke about the criticism that films and their promotional campaigns often face before releaseHe suggested that filmmakers can find themselves in a difficult position regardless of the strategy they choose.
When a major star participates in promotions, questions can arise about why an established actor needs to campaign for a filmIf the star stays away, the makers may be criticised for failing to generate excitementGupta also raised concerns about alleged paid smear campaigns targeting films before their theatrical release.
Dhurandhar franchise’s box office success
The first Dhurandhar, released in 05 December 2025, featured Ranveer Singh alongside Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, Rakesh Bedi, Sara Arjun, R Madhavan and Sanjay Dutt along with talented supporting castAs per Sacnilk, the film went on to collect over Rs 1,307.35 crore worldwide.
Its sequel, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, arrived on 19 March 2026, with paid previews from 18 March and continued the franchise’s successful runIt collected over Rs 1,813.39 crore crore worldwide and became one of the biggest Indian releases of the yearThe success of both films has brought renewed attention to the marketing choices that initially faced criticism.
