Not every film can be told in just two hours. Some stories are big, detailed, and need more time to be shown properly. India’s film industry has understood this for many years. That is why some movies have very long runtimes, sometimes more than three or even four hours, and still manage to keep the audience interested.
The latest film to join this group is Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge. According to reports, the movie runs for nearly four hours, making it one of the longest Indian films released in theatres in recent times.
In the past too, Indian cinema has seen several long movies that became popular. For example, Mera Naam Joker, starring Raj Kapoor, had a runtime of more than four hours. Another classic, Hum Aapke Hain Koun..!, starring Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit, was also very long but became a huge success.
Historical films are often longer because they tell detailed stories. Lagaan, starring Aamir Khan, ran for almost four hours and was even nominated for an Oscar. Similarly, Gangs of Wasseypur, directed by Anurag Kashyap, was originally over five hours long and was later split into two parts for theatres.
Films like these show that if the story is strong and engaging, audiences are willing to sit through long runtimes. While shorter films are more common today, long movies still have a special place in Indian cinema, offering a deeper and more complete storytelling experience.