Dhurandhar 2 earns £1.57m in UK in four days: why Bollywood's British boom is a legal opportunity for directors

Dhurandhar 2 earns £1.57m in UK in four days: why Bollywood's British boom is a legal opportunity for directors

Aditya Dhar is trending across the UK on 24 March 2026 after his blockbuster film "Dhurandhar: The Revenge" — the sequel to his acclaimed 2024 debut — crossed ₹700 crore (approximately £70 million) worldwide in just four days since its release on 19 March 2026. In the United Kingdom alone, the film earned £1.57 million at the box office in its opening stretch, confirming the UK as one of Bollywood's most lucrative overseas markets.

A record-breaking release in Britain

Dhurandhar 2, starring Ranveer Singh, was released globally on 19 March 2026, timed with Gudi Padwa, Ugadi, and Eid al-Fitr. By day four (23 March 2026), it had crossed the lifetime collection of Gadar 2 globally and director SS Rajamouli publicly praised Dhar's work, saying the sequel "surpassed the first film in scale and soul."

With the film earning over £1.57 million in the UK, Aditya Dhar has now crossed the 2,000 crore milestone globally across both his films. This makes him one of the highest-grossing directors in the history of Indian cinema — and one of the most prominent faces of Bollywood's strategic push into the British market.

"Bollywood Is Back in Britain" — and the legal implications are significant

In October 2025, UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer declared "Bollywood Is Back In Britain" following the signing of the UK–India Free Trade Agreement (July 2025) and a Memorandum of Understanding between the British Film Institute (BFI) and India's National Film Development Corporation (NFDC). Yash Raj Films announced three major Bollywood productions to be filmed in the UK from 2026, creating an estimated 3,000 jobs in British film and tourism sectors.

This is a genuine inflection point for the UK South Asian entertainment industry. But it also raises pressing questions for Indian filmmakers working in Britain: who owns the creative work, and what rights do directors hold when films cross jurisdictions?

UK copyright law and what it means for Bollywood directors

Under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, the UK recognises both the producer and the principal director as joint authors and first copyright owners of a film. This is more protective than the US system, which typically treats films as works made for hire (where the studio owns everything by default).

In the UK, directors retain two key moral rights:

• The right to be identified as the author of the work
• The right to object to derogatory treatment of the work (such as edits, re-dubbing, or re-cuts that damage its integrity)

Film copyright in the UK lasts for the life of the longest-surviving author (principal director, screenplay author, dialogue author, or original music composer) plus 70 years. This is a significant asset — one that Bollywood directors working in the UK often fail to formally protect.

The risks of ignoring IP protection in cross-border film deals

A high-profile example of what can go wrong: in January 2026, Eros International filed a lawsuit against Aanand L. Rai over alleged IP infringement relating to a marketing campaign for "Tere Ishq Mein" that echoed taglines from the 2013 film "Raanjhanaa." The dispute highlighted how unregistered IP — including taglines, character names, and fictional worlds — can become costly battlegrounds.

For Bollywood directors now working in the UK, the risks are multiplied:

• Distribution licensing: who has the right to edit the UK cut? Can the distributor re-dub the film without the director's consent?
• Moral rights waivers: some UK production contracts include clauses waiving the director's right to object to derogatory treatment — a detail that can be buried in complex agreements
• Title protection: the UK Intellectual Property Office (IPO) allows trademark registration of film titles, but registration must be proactive — it does not happen automatically
• Cross-border complexity: a director's moral rights recognised in the UK may not apply in the same way in India or the United States

How a UK entertainment lawyer can help

A specialist entertainment solicitor in the UK can help Bollywood directors and producers navigate this landscape in several practical ways:

1. Draft and review film production agreements to ensure copyright ownership is explicit, not assumed
2. Register film titles, character names, and fictional worlds as UK and EU trademarks before release
3. Negotiate distribution deals that preserve the director's right to approve editorial changes
4. Manage IP enforcement across multiple jurisdictions (India, UK, US, EU) when disputes arise
5. Advise on UK filming permits, BFI co-production treaties, and tax credit eligibility for UK-produced Bollywood content

With Bollywood's UK footprint growing rapidly — and major studios now committing to British productions — getting legal advice before signing deals is no longer optional. It is the difference between building a lasting legacy and giving it away.

If you are a filmmaker, producer, or creative professional working in the UK and need clarity on your intellectual property rights, a specialist entertainment solicitor on Expert Zoom can help you understand your position and protect your work.

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This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific guidance on film copyright and IP rights in the UK, consult a qualified solicitor. Official guidance is available from the UK Intellectual Property Office.