Kamal Ghorui
Veteran actor Prem Chopra has shared his thoughts on the evolution of Hindi cinema, pointing out how storytelling has shifted from emotion-driven narratives to high-octane, violent spectacles. Speaking about the transition from the eras of Rajesh Khanna and Amitabh Bachchan to today’s films, Chopra said the change is largely driven by trends and audience acceptance.
‘It’s a trend that people follow’
Chopra explained that the rise of aggressive storytelling is not accidental but a result of what works at the box office. “It’s a trend which is followed by people. Certain films become successful for certain reasons—because of action, fighting, loud dialogues. Then others start following that trend,” he told Vickey Lalwani, adding that even if some audiences may not fully appreciate it, the commercial success drives repetition.
On Dhurandhar : ‘Good, but too lengthy’
Talking about filmmaker Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar, Chopra said he watched the first part and found it engaging, though slightly stretched.“It was good, but it was too lengthy. But it worked because people accepted it in a big way—after a long time, audiences returned to theatres,” he said.When asked if he would tone down the violence if he were directing the film, Chopra remained practical. “Cinema is commercial. I would have made the film according to the trend being accepted,” he said, before adding, “But yes, I would have suggested going slow on the abuse and such things.”
Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna impress
The veteran actor also had praise for both Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna, acknowledging their performances in the film.“I used to see Ranveer Singh at a club—he was trying to get a break. I was amazed to see him perform. It’s difficult to say who was better because everybody had their role and everybody tried to perform their best,” Chopra shared.He also spoke about Akshaye Khanna’s performance, noting that his role had a stronger connect with the audience. “His role was more towards the audience, playing to the gallery, so the acceptance was higher,” he said, while appreciating his impact in the film.“I believe in the second part of Dhurandhar, Ranveer has done a wonderful job,” he added.
‘Different times, different cinema’
Summing up his views, Chopra emphasized that cinema evolves with time. “Different kinds of films are made today. With time, everything changes,” he said, underlining that while styles may differ, each era reflects its audience’s taste.Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar: The Revenge have achieved a historic feat at the box office. The Ranveer Singh-starrer franchise has officially crossed the Rs 3000 crore mark worldwide, becoming the first Indian film series to do so.According to Sacnilk, the combined global collection of the two films now stands at over Rs 3019 crore. This makes Dhurandhar the highest-grossing franchise in Indian cinema so far. With this milestone, the franchise has overtaken some of Indian cinema’s biggest blockbusters like SS Rajamouli’s Baahubali series, Sukumar’s Pushpa franchise and Prashanth Neel’s KGF films.
