Ranveer Singh enters Pakistan, but in Thailand: 'Dhurandhar' turns spy drama into a gritty cinematic illusion

Economic Times

5 days ago

Synopsis
Ranveer Singh's upcoming spy thriller, Dhurandhar, boasts ambitious world-building, with production designer Saini S. Johray transforming a six-acre space in Thailand into Pakistan's urban underbelly. Facing Mumbai monsoon challenges, the team chose Thailand for its weather and scale. Johray emphasized the importance of detail, using extensive research to ensure authenticity, while Ranveer Singh's dedication and collaboration elevated the project.
Agencies Ranveer Singh's upcoming spy thriller, Dhurandhar, boasts ambitious world-building, with production designer Saini S. Johray transforming a six-acre space in Thailand into Pakistan's urban underbelly. In the upcoming action-packed spy thriller Dhurandhar, actor Ranveer Singh appears in a never-before-seen avatar—long-haired, intense, and exuding raw, unfiltered energy. Directed by Aditya Dhar and featuring an ensemble cast including R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Akshaye Khanna, and Sanjay Dutt, the film unfolds across a timeline stretching from the 1970s to the present, capturing decades of espionage, patriotism, and pain. But what truly sets this project apart is not just its narrative scale—it's the ambitious world-building behind the scenes. What looks like a tense lane in Karachi or the narrow hustle of Lahore might actually be shot thousands of kilometres away—in Thailand. That's right. In an exclusive interview with The Hollywood Reporter India, Dhurandhar's production designer Saini S. Johray revealed how his team transformed a six-acre space in Thailand into a convincing replica of Pakistan's urban underbelly.
Johray, known for his work in The Family Man and The Night Manager, said that constructing the sets took months of planning and sleepless effort. With the Mumbai monsoons threatening production schedules, Thailand emerged as a more weather-friendly location that could host the scale and authenticity the director demanded. 'We couldn't build something this massive in Mumbai at that time of year, and studios were simply not enough,' he said. — duttsanjay (@duttsanjay)
This was no ordinary set design. Johray's team delved into old newspaper cuttings, vintage Pakistani films, headlines, and YouTube archives to build a visual library of the region. From the texture of walls to the shape of window grills, no detail was too small. 'Thai workers have never seen Bhindi Bazaar,' he pointed out. 'I had to make sure the streets didn't look like Thailand pretending to be Pakistan.'
What followed was a massive collaboration involving 500 workers—nearly 400 of whom were Thai—working round the clock to bring Dhar's vision to life. And it wasn't just Thailand. A second major set was built on Madh Island in Mumbai, spanning four acres and housing some of the film's most explosive action sequences.
— vishalandcinema (@vishalandcinema)
Amid this scale, Ranveer Singh's dedication shone through. 'He took a deep interest in props and the environment. He would study everything and offer amazing inputs,' Johray noted. Even after sustaining an injury, Ranveer continued shooting. 'This is a passion project for him and Aditya. They both elevated everyone's efforts,' Johray added. The teaser, which dropped as a birthday gift to Ranveer, is just a taste of the larger narrative and visual spectacle. According to Johray, the full extent of the explosive action and intense drama is yet to be seen. 'There's not even one percent of the action in that teaser,' he hinted.