Before Rs 1,300 crore movie, Dhurandhar's Aditya Dhar wanted to play cricket for India. But a reason forced that dream to end

Today, filmmaker Aditya Dhar is known for delivering one of the biggest Hindi blockbusters with Dhurandhar. The film turned into a massive box office success, earning more than Rs 1,300 crore worldwide and putting him among the most talked-about directors in the industry. But years before films and box office numbers became part of his life, Dhar had a very different dream. Cricket, not cinema, was what he hoped would define his future.

When cricket was the real dream

Long before he entered filmmaking, Dhar was seriously involved in cricket and reportedly had ambitions of playing for India. He was considered a promising player and even aimed to make it into the Under-19 cricket team during the early 2000s.

However, things did not work out the way he had hoped. According to filmmaker Priyadarshan, Dhar’s cricket career ended because of factors that were not related to his performance.


In an interview with Mashable India, Priyadarshan recalled what happened during that phase of Dhar’s life. He said, “He was a cricketer but he could not get into the Under-19 team because of some political influence so he was moved out. He was very disappointed sitting at home. Someone called him to see a film, and that was Gardish. He said he saw Gardish and said, 'This is something I want to do and I came to Mumbai'.”

That moment, according to Priyadarshan, ended up changing the direction of Dhar’s life. What started as a setback in sport eventually pushed him toward cinema.

The difficult early years in films

Moving to Mumbai did not instantly solve things for Dhar. Like many newcomers in the film industry, he faced a long period of struggle before finding stability.

Priyadarshan said Aditya Dhar was already disappointed when he first approached him, as he had written a few films but did not receive credit for them. Dhar later worked with Priyadarshan as an assistant director in the early 2010s, while also writing dialogues and learning filmmaking during that period.

Talking about those years, Priyadarshan said, “When Aditya was working with me, he was also writing dialogues so for three years, I think, we worked together. I was always positive about him because he had a wonderful language. That was his biggest asset at that time.”

From setbacks to a record-breaking film

Years later, Aditya Dhar found massive success with Dhurandhar, released on December 5, 2025. Starring Ranveer Singh alongside Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, R. Madhavan and Sanjay Dutt, the film opened with Rs 28 crore in India and crossed Rs 218 crore in its first week. It went past Rs 500 crore domestically in 16 days and eventually earned over Rs 1,300 crore worldwide, becoming the highest-grossing Hindi film globally.

With the massive response to the first film, the franchise is now moving forward. The sequel, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, is scheduled to release in theatres on March 19, with paid preview screenings planned a day earlier.

Looking back, Dhar’s journey shows how unexpected turns can reshape careers. A dream that once revolved around cricket ended due to circumstances outside his control, but that same disappointment eventually pushed him toward filmmaking.