Aditya Dhar
Indian filmmaker (born 1983)
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Aditya Dhar (born 12 March 1983) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer who works in Hindi cinema. Having previously worked as lyricist, Dhar made his directorial debut with the 2019 war film Uri: The Surgical Strike, a commercially successful venture which earned him the National Film Award for Best Direction.[1] Dhar rose to prominence,[2] with the spy action thriller Dhurandhar duology, comprising Dhurandhar (2025) and Dhurandhar: The Revenge (2026); both films rank among Indian cinema's top five highest earners ever at the box office.[3][4]
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- Film director
- screenwriter
- film producer
- lyricist
Aditya Dhar | |
|---|---|
Dhar in 2019 | |
| Born | 12 March 1983 (age 43) New Delhi, India. |
| Alma mater | Delhi University |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2006–present |
| Notable work | |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 |
Early life and education
Dhar was born on 12 March 1983 in New Delhi into a Kashmiri Pandit family.[5][6] His mother Sunita Dhar was a former dean at Delhi University.[7] He grew up in Delhi and did his schooling from Guru Harkrishan Public School, Vasant Vihar, New Delhi, and graduated from Hindu College, Delhi.[8][9] He suffered from severe dyslexia during his school years, which led to academic difficulties. As a result, he redirected his focus to theatre, music, and storytelling. [10][11]
During his growing years, he was ivolved with theatre and worked with groups like the Delhi Music Theatre.[8] At age 12, he acted with Gaurav Gera, in DMT's production West Side Story. [10] This helped shape his screenwriting career.[7][12] He also played college-level cricket as a spinner for Delhi University.[10]
Career
Early career (2006—2018)
In 2006, Dhar moved to Mumbai and began his career as an assistant director. He contributed lyrics for songs composed by Raghav Sachar in the films Kabul Express,[13] Haal-e-Dil and Daddy Cool.[14] He joined as an assistant director to Priyadarshan and served as the dialogue writer for the director's films, Aakrosh and Tezz.[15] Dhar's first directorial was titled Raat Baaki which was to be backed by Karan Johar's Dharma Productions, though film was shelved due to Pakistani actor Fawad Khan after 2016 Uri attack.[16][17] The attack sparked nationwide outrage, and ban on Pakistani artists working in India and eventually film was shelved overnight.[18] After India's response of 2016 Indian Line of Control strike, Dhar decided to make film on this, which later released as Uri: The Surgical Strike.[19]
Directorial breakthrough and production company (2019—2024)
In 2019, Dhar made his directorial debut with Uri: The Surgical Strike, a war action film starring Vicky Kaushal, Yami Gautam and Paresh Rawal; it was produced by Ronnie Screwvala under the RSVP Movies banner and was filmed in Serbia.[20] It was based on real-life retaliation operations following the 2016 Uri attack and received acclaim for direction, cinematography, single shot combat scenes and narrative style, though some criticised it for being aligned with the BJP government.[21][22][23] The film became a commercial success, grossing over ₹3.5 billion (US$41 million) worldwide, becoming tenth highest-grossing Indian film domestically.[24][25] For this film, he received the National Film Award for Best Director and the Filmfare Award for Best Debut Director. The slogan "How's the Josh" used in the film went viral in Indian social media.[26] This question is asked to the cadets to test their enthusiasm in the film.[27][28] [29][30] The slogan was also used by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi while inaugurating the National Museum of Indian Cinema of Films Division of India.[31][32][33]
Dhar was scheduled to collaborate with Vicky Kaushal again for the mythological superhero film The Immortal Ashwatthama.[34] In 2021, the film was planned as a trilogy and was expected to begin filming;[35] however, it was shelved due to the COVID-19 pandemic and budgetary constraints.[36][37] Dhar subsequently produced the films under his B62 Studios banner which includes the critically acclaimed political film Article 370 (2024) and the horror thriller Baramulla (2025); in which he also served a co-writer of the films.[38]
Widespread recognition (2025—present)
On 5 December 2025, Dhar's second directorial, Dhurandhar, a spy thriller, was released, featuring Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt and Arjun Rampal, produced by his B62 Studios and Jio Studios.[39] His filmmaking was well received, critics praising the ensemble cast performance, direction, cinematography, action sequences, soundtrack, world building and production values, while criticism was directed for mixing fact and fiction.[40][41][42][43] Dhurandhar emerged as a major commercial success at the box office, becoming the 4th Hindi film to cross ₹1,000 crore worldwide.[44] It grossed over ₹1350 crore worldwide and ranks 4th highest grossing Indian films of all time,[45] 2nd highest grossing Hindi film, the highest grossing Hindi films in India and the highest grossing Adult-certified Indian film.[46] On 7 January 2026, the film surpassed Pushpa 2: The Rule and became the highest-grossing film in Hindi domestic net collections.[47] Thus, it became the highest grosser in Hindi language alone and also the most successful Bollywood film post-COVID.[48] Originally Dhurandhar conceived as a single film, Dhar later opted for a two-part release because of the film's length, the sequel being named Dhurandhar: The Revenge.[49]
Dhurandhar: The Revenge was released on 19 March 2026, only after 3 and half months of first instalment release.[50][51] Like it's predecessor, it received praise for Dhar's execution, cast performance, technical aspects, musical score, Dhar's direction and world building, but criticism for mixing fact and fiction and alleged nationalist propaganda.[52][53] Nevertheless, the film emerged major commercial success, crossed the ₹1000 crore worldwide mark within a week and becoming the 5th Hindi film to do so. Dhar became only the second Indian director after S. S. Rajamouli to direct two ₹1000 crore films.[54] By the end of third week of it's released, the film grossed over ₹1700 crore worldwide,[55] making it the third-highest-grossing Indian film of all time, the second-highest-grossing Hindi-language film worldwide, the highest-grossing Hindi-language film domestically, and the third-highest-grossing film in India.
Filmmaking and reception
Observers have noted Dhar's ability to combine high-concept storytelling with engaging cinematic techniques.[56] His films blend nationalism, action and emotional drama, create mass appeal to audience.[57][58] He is noted for film's scale, set design, realistic action sequences and structural narrative style in chapters often leads the film.[59] Dhar's directorial debut, Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019) received acclaim for teachinal aspects, realistic war sequences and emotional quotients, was a commercial success as well.[60] The Guardian reported that film was described as "patriotic by some and propaganda by others".[61] The Times of India said that it was "a fitting tribute to the Indian Army conceptually but cinematically, it's not a film without flaws".[62]
Dhar's next directorial, a spy action thriller Dhurandhar duology, comprising Dhurandhar (2025) and Dhurandhar: The Revenge (2026) received mixed to positive response from the critics. It garnered widespread acclaim for Dhar's direction, technical aspects, narratives style, use of music and performances of ensemble cast,[63] and criticism for mixing facts and fiction, while some commentators called it politically propagandic.[64][65][66][67] While several other commentators have argued over propaganda characterisation.[68][69] Industry figures such as Ram Gopal Varma and Sandeep Reddy Vanga have praised Dhar's ability to craft high-voltage sequences and layered character portrayals that feel both immersive and emotionally charged, suggesting that Dhar combines a commercial sensibility with attention to detail and thematic coherence.[70][71] Anurag Kashyap applauded Dhar's filmmaking and execution[72] and called Dhurandhar (2025) a "courageous mainstream film",[73] comparing it to other spy thrillers such as The Hurt Locker and Zero Dark Thirty.[74] He found some dialogues to be propagandistic and regarded them as Dhar's politics.[75] Other filmmakers such as Madhur Bhandarkar[76][77] and SS Rajamouli[78] also praised Dhar's filmmaking after watching Dhurandhar: The Revenge.
Personal life
His elder brother, Lokesh Dhar, has served as a leading studio executive at UTV Motion Pictures and later Fox Star Studios. In 2021, he and Lokesh co-founded the production company B62 Studios.[79][8]
On 4 June 2021, Dhar married Indian actress Yami Gautam in a traditional Hindu ceremony in Mandi district, Himachal Pradesh.[80][81][82] Their first child, Vedavid, was born on 10 May 2024.[83][84]
Filmography
| † | Denotes films that have not yet been released |
Film credits
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | Boond | Associate director | Yes | No | Short film | |
| 2010 | Aakrosh | No | Dialogues | No | [85] | |
| 2012 | Tezz | No | Dialogues | No | [86] | |
| 2019 | Uri: The Surgical Strike | Yes | Yes | No | Directorial debut | [87] |
| 2024 | Article 370 | No | Yes | Yes | [88] | |
| 2025 | Dhoom Dhaam | No | Yes | Yes | Released on Netflix | [89] |
| Baramulla | No | Yes | Yes | [90] | ||
| Dhurandhar | Yes | Yes | Yes | [91] | ||
| 2026 | Dhurandhar: The Revenge | Yes | Yes | Yes | [92] | |
Discography
As lyricist
| Year | Film | Title | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2006 | Kabul Express | "Kabul Fiza" | [93] |
| "Banjar" | |||
| "Keh Raha Mera Dil" | |||
| "Yeh Main Aaya Kahaan Hoon" | |||
| 2007 | Play it Loud (Album) |
All songs | |
| 2008 | Haal-e-Dil | "Rang" | [94] |
| "Khwahish" | |||
| 2009 | Daddy Cool | All songs | [95] |
| 2011 | Phhir | 4 songs | [96] |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Work | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | 66th National Film Awards | Best Director | Uri: The Surgical Strike | Won | [97] |
| Jagran Film Festival | Best Debut Director | Won | [98] | ||
| 26th Screen Awards | Best Director | Nominated | [99] | ||
| Most Promising Debut Director | Won | ||||
| 2020 | 65th Filmfare Awards | Best Director | Nominated | [100] | |
| Best Debut Director | Won | ||||
| Zee Cine Awards | Best Director | Nominated | |||
| Most Promising Director | Won | ||||
| 2021 | 21st IIFA Awards | Best Director | Won | [101] | |
| Best Story | Nominated | ||||
| 2026 | Zee Cine Awards | Best Film - Aditya Dhar, Lokesh Dhar, Jyoti Deshpande | Dhurandhar | Nominated | |
| Screen Awards | Best Film | Nominated | [102] | ||
| Best Director | Won | ||||
| Best Dialogue | Won | ||||
| Best Film Writing (Story & Screenplay) | Won |
