Kollywood
Dhurandhar 2: Superstar Rajinikanth Hails Aditya Dhar's Epic as Box Office Ka Baap Amidst Legal Battle to Ban the Film in Tamil Nadu
Dhurandhar 2 The Revenge has found itself at the center of a massive theatrical and legal storm in South India as the film enters its crucial opening week. While the project is receiving unprecedented praise from industry legends, it is simultaneously battling a legal challenge in the Madras High Court that could significantly impact its performance in the Tamil Nadu circuit. This creates a fascinating trade scenario where massive organic hype from a superstar endorsement is clashing with a potential territorial ban just as the film looks to consolidate its position as a pan-India blockbuster. What a film … #Dhurandhar2 !!! Aditya Dhar 🫡 box office -ka baap !!! Many congratulations to Ranveer and the entire cast and crew. A must watch film for every indian. Jai hind 🇮🇳 @AdityaDharFilms @RanveerOfficial— Rajinikanth (@rajinikanth) March 23, 2026 Superstar Rajinikanth took to social media to shower the film with high praise. Labeling the Aditya Dhar directorial as Box Office ka baap, the legendary actor congratulated Ranveer Singh and the entire crew, calling it a must-watch for every Indian. From a business perspective, an endorsement of this magnitude from the Thalaivar is a massive market catalyst. For a high-stakes political thriller like Dhurandhar 2, this provides the film with the necessary cultural buy-in to penetrate the Tamil market, where Hindi-led projects often require a local anchor to achieve breakout net collections. The ground-level business in the South reflects this growing momentum, despite the film facing a staggered start in the region. Due to administrative delays in censor clearance for the dubbed version, the proper Tamil release only commenced from Saturday (Day 3). On its first full day of dubbed screening, the film recorded a net collection of ₹2.95 crore with a 61% occupancy rate, followed by ₹2.50 crore on Day 4 with 53% occupancy. With a two-day dubbed total already crossing the ₹5.45 crore mark, the film is trending on a trajectory to challenge established benchmarks for Hindi-origin films in the Tamil market. Historically, Shah Rukh Khan's Jawan holds the record for the highest Tamil net for a Bollywood film with ₹30.08 crore, having surpassed the lifetime ₹11.48 crore of Dangal. The trade is currently eyeing Dhurandhar 2 as a potential challenger to these lifetime figures, provided the theatrical run remains uninterrupted by the ongoing legal challenges in the Madras High Court. (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({}) However, the film theatrical run in the Kollywood territory has hit a sudden snag due to legal friction. An urgent plea was mentioned before the Madras High Court bench consisting of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan, seeking a total ban on the film release in Tamil Nadu. The core of the legal argument revolves around the Model Code of Conduct. With the state set to see an Assembly election in exactly a month, the petitioner argues that the film political themes and narrative could influence voters. The court has directed the petitioner to formally file a writ petition before an urgent hearing can be scheduled, putting a cloud of uncertainty over the film business in this key region. The trade notes that the very elements that have made the film a topic of discussion are now being scrutinized under election-period guidelines. The plea specifically mentions that the film revolves around political issues, which has prompted legal activists to seek a stay on its release during the model code of conduct period. This legal friction is occurring even as the promotional campaign continues to build momentum for what is being hailed as a major cinematic event by industry veterans. From a trade standpoint, films that face high-profile ban calls often experience a reverse-swing effect, where public curiosity drives even higher footfalls once the legal hurdles are cleared. By having a superstar like Rajinikanth validate the film while activists simultaneously try to block it, Dhurandhar 2 has achieved a level of visibility that marketing budgets alone cannot buy. If the film clears the Madras High Court hurdle, the combination of a legendary endorsement and the controversy-driven interest could result in one of the highest opening numbers for a Hindi-origin film in the Tamil Nadu circuit. However, any temporary stay on the film could cost the producers a significant chunk of the opening weekend moolah in the South.
