After Dhurandhar’s Success, Are Love & War and King Considering Two-Part Releases?

The unprecedented box office performance of Dhurandhar has reignited a long-standing debate within the Hindi film industry: can two-part theatrical films still succeed in an era marked by shrinking attention spans and franchise fatigue? The Ranveer Singh-led spy thriller has crossed the Rs 1,000 crore mark globally, outperforming recent blockbusters such as RRR, Jawan and Kalki 2898 AD, and in doing so, has unsettled conventional wisdom around film structuring.

What makes Dhurandhar particularly notable is that its two-part format was reportedly not part of the original plan. Industry sources suggest the decision to split the narrative was taken during the final stages of editing, just days before release. The filmmakers realised that condensing the entire story into a single film risked diluting its political depth and emotional arcs. Instead of rushing the climax, the narrative was paused at a natural breaking point, ending on a sharp cliffhanger that converted audience curiosity into sustained momentum.

With Dhurandhar 2 already scheduled for release on March 19, 2026, the film’s success has sparked speculation about whether other high-profile projects might adopt a similar strategy. Reports indicate that King, starring Shah Rukh Khan alongside his daughter Suhana Khan, and Love & War, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, are said to be reassessing their release plans.

Love & War, featuring Ranbir Kapoor, Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal, is reportedly being mounted on a massive scale, while King, directed by Siddharth Anand, marks a significant generational pairing. Both projects are said to have exceeded their initial budgets, prompting discussions around staggered releases to manage narrative scale and financial risk.

However, Bollywood’s history with two-part films is mixed. Franchises such as Baahubali and KGF succeeded because their first instalments delivered complete emotional journeys while still ending with compelling cliffhangers. In contrast, projects like Saaho and Brahmastra struggled as their initial chapters felt more like prolonged set-ups rather than standalone cinematic experiences. Even Ra.One, once envisioned as a franchise, failed to progress beyond its first instalment due to muted audience response.

Trade voices have urged caution amid the renewed speculation. Veteran analyst Komal Nahta has dismissed the idea of a trend-driven approach, arguing that both Shah Rukh Khan and Sanjay Leela Bhansali are unlikely to follow templates without strong narrative justification.

While two-part storytelling has flourished on streaming platforms, where staggered releases sustain engagement over months, theatrical cinema operates under different expectations. Audiences pay upfront and demand narrative payoff, making any split format a high-stakes gamble.

What Dhurandhar has ultimately demonstrated is not the inevitability of two-part releases, but the importance of conviction-driven storytelling. Whether King and Love & War follow suit or remain single, self-contained films will depend less on market trends and more on what best serves their stories.