Tigmanshu Dhulia’s latest interview with the Hindustan Times was a no‑nonsense slam‑down of Bollywood’s romance treadmill. He shot the camera straight at the question and said, “Absolutely not.”
What he means by that is simple: love stories that revolve around two people without a bigger canvas are a dead end for him. He’s never been one to let a plot be dictated by a single, tidy love arc; instead, he pulls the narrative out of the real world, where crime, politics, and social upheaval are the real protagonists.
Yet he isn’t averse to romance entirely. If the love story sits on a historical or cultural battleground—think Mughal‑e‑Azam’s court intrigue or the cross‑regional tension in Ek Duje Ke Liye—he’s willing to dive in. The key, he stresses, is that the relationship must echo a larger conflict, not just be a feel‑good subplot.
Beyond the debate, Dhulia’s own career path shows his love for storytelling in all its forms. He started as a director, turned to acting only after Anurag Kashyap offered him a role in Gangs of Wasseypur, and has since balanced both crafts. His latest directorial, Ghamasaan, a gritty retelling of dacoit Dadua’s life, premiered on ZEE5 on September 11, starring Pratik Gandhi and Arshad Warsi.
So while the industry keeps churning romantic multiplexes, Dhulia remains a steadfast purist, choosing only those love stories that can stand beside a larger narrative. That’s the rule he lives by, and the rule that keeps his films from feeling like just another romantic cliché.