As the last reel of 2025 rolls, we sat down with the filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar to have a look back at the top cinematic pieces of the year. In an exclusive interview with us, the ‘Fashion’ filmmaker gave not one but his top 3 favorite movies of the year, and Aditya Dhar’s ‘Dhurandhar’ starring Ranveer Singh, Akshay KhannaArjun Rampal, and others topped his list. According to Madhur Bhandarkar, 2025 belongs to these people.
Madhur Bhandarkar picks Aditya Dhar as the director of the year; praises Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna for their performances
“As a director, I feel Aditya Dhar has changed the grammar. He has changed the whole dynamics, the whole equation of the film industry and the script,” he said while praising the filmmaker. Madhur Bhandarkar then added that he thoroughly enjoyed the work of Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna, giving a special mention to the latter’s performance in ‘Chhaava.’ “Both actors were brilliant in their roles. Akshay Khanna was absolutely brilliant in both films. Akshay Khanna, especially! I tweeted about it. It was a masterclass for any actor. The body language, the nuances, the kind of work he has done. Fab, fab, fab is an understatement. Its brilliant. I really, really, really loved it,” he said.Further, while speaking about Ranveer Singh’s performance, he added, “I loved him because I just felt that the role required a lot of restraint in the character, and he did it. And sometimes he is just in the background. And that also, he performed so well. In the foreground, you have Akshaye and other people, and he performed so well. And the close-up was shot so brilliantly.” He continued, “So, I feel, the year belonged to these people only. Absolutely brilliant.”
‘Dhurandhar’: Madhur Bhandarkar’s detailed analysis of Ranveer Singh’s work
As the conversation moved ahead, we discussed some nuances of Ranveer Singh’s character. How for never even a second he broke the character, showed diverse emotions with ease. “You have to credit the actor and the director both. I feel Ranveer just surrendered to the vision of the filmmaker. He was just there, like one of the people who were there. Even in his close-ups, when Akshaye Khanna and Arjun Rampal are saying their lines, he’s just lying there, alert,” shared Madhur Bhandarkar. He continued, “I think that nuance was very well caught, especially during the 26/11 scene and the way he reacted. Another is when he does the scene with the Indian spy who was being tortured by Arjun. See, it’s very difficult to restrain performances. And that also, it’s not that you are reacting within four walls with other people. It’s a very difficult kind of performance, you know, where the audience really captures well. Aditya Dhar has definitely captured that, and he has broken new ground.”
The other two movies on Madhur Bhandarkar’s list of 2025: ‘Saiyaara’ and ‘Kantara: Chapter 1’
“I loved ‘Saiyaara’ because I thought that the love story was brilliant. Both actors, Ahaan Pandey and Aneet Padda, were outstanding in the film. When I was watching the film, I was just mesmerized by it completely. And I think those two performers were brilliant in the film. It was their debut film, but it didn’t feel that way; They acted so well,” said Madhur Bhandarkar. Next pick in his list was ‘Kantara: Chapter 1.’ He said, “Another film I liked was ‘Kantara: Chapter 1.’ I loved it.” Calling it simply awesome, he concluded, “I think Reshab Shetty was just brilliant, the way he performed. He mesmerized everybody with his performances. It was a brilliant work this time. Really enjoyed it.”
