Jyoti Deshpande Sets the New Standard for Theatrical Blockbusters

The momentum around Dhurandhar is impossible to ignore. The high-octane action spectacle has taken the box office by storm and, in just its second week, is racing towards the ₹450 crore mark. Mounted as a two-part cinematic event, Dhurandhar reflects the kind of long-view thinking that has become synonymous with Jyoti Deshpande’s leadership at Jio Studios. Borrowing from global franchise models, the film extends audience engagement beyond a single release, transforming a theatrical outing into a long-term property and in the process, reaffirming the power of scale-driven cinema.

At a time when theatrical cinema is under relentless pressure from digital-first consumption and streaming-led strategies, Deshpande has chosen conviction over caution. Her approach is not reactionary but resolute backing films that demand to be experienced in theatres, while remaining attuned to the evolving entertainment ecosystem. Dhurandhar has already propelled Jio Studios into the No. 1 position in 2025, continuing the studio’s box-office dominance from the previous year and reinforcing Jyoti Deshpande’s reputation as a producer who thinks well beyond opening weekends.

That dominance was decisively established in 2024, a year that belonged to Jio Studios. The studio delivered a remarkable run of theatrical successes led by Stree 2, which amassed a staggering ₹880 crore worldwide, keeping audiences laughing off their seats and emerging as one of the biggest Indian hits of the year. Article 370 followed with ₹105 crore, sparking nationwide conversation alongside commercial success, while Shaitaan powered its way to ₹211 crore, further underlining the studio’s grip on mass appeal across genres.

Alongside these box-office juggernauts stood Laapataa Ladies, a film that transcended numbers to become a cultural and critical phenomenon. It received unanimous acclaim from critics and opinion-makers globally, was recognised as the Most Loved Film of 2024, selected as India’s official entry to the Oscars, and went on to dominate the awards season, sweeping honours across categories at every major outing. The coexistence of Stree 2 and Laapataa Ladies within the same slate highlighted Deshpande’s rare ability to balance mass entertainment with globally resonant storytelling firmly establishing Jio Studios as the biggest studio of 2024.

Equally telling is Jio Studios’ strategic entry into film distribution with Dhurandhar. Under Deshpande’s leadership, the studio took on end-to-end ownership of the theatrical rollout, delivering one of its widest and most coordinated national releases. By eliminating third-party dependencies and strengthening operational control, Jio Studios made a confident statement at a time when many studios are scaling back. With Dhurandhar Part 2 slated for 2026, expectations are already sky-high an even bigger box-office monster appears inevitable, making a hat-trick of blockbuster dominance for Jio Studios very much on the cards.

Dhurandhar is a high-octane action-thriller written, directed, and produced by Aditya Dhar, and produced by Jyoti Deshpande and Lokesh Dhar. It features a stellar cast including Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal and Sara Arjun. Presented by Jio Studios and B62 Studios, the film opened to massive numbers at the box office and continues to witness a formidable theatrical run.