WATCH: Dhurandhar
The espionage thriller Hindi film Dhurandhar, released worldwide on Dec 5, is the highest-grossing Indian film of 2025. As of Dec 31, it earned an estimated Rs1,095 crores (S$156 million) and is expected to surpass Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan (2023), whose box office collection stands at Rs1,160 crores (S$165 million), by the end of its theatrical run.
If it does, Dhurandhar would be the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time. With a runtime of 214 minutes (approximately three and a half hours), it is also one of the longest Indian films ever made. It stars Ranveer Singh as an Indian spy on a covert mission in Karachi, Pakistan. Directed by Aditya Dhar, the film has sparked debate over its hyper-masculine tone, political messaging, and treatment of historical events.
LISTEN: Raanjhan
It seems like love was in the air last year, as many of the top 10 tracks on Spotify India’s 2025 Wrapped playlist were love ballads. Raanjhan (translation: beloved one) from the 2024 Netflix Hindi drama thriller film Do Patti topped the list, followed by Kushagra’s Finding Her and Saiyaara from the breakout 2025 Hindi romance drama film of the same name.
Raanjhan was released on Oct 4, 2024, and the accompanying music video on YouTube featured the film’s lead actors, Kriti Sanon and Shaheer Sheikh, as a romantic couple in a strained relationship. Written by Kausar Munir, the lyrics effectively capture the heartache and messy emotions that follow a breakup. The song’s melancholic melody resonated with audiences as the lovelorn tune amassed more than 379 million streams worldwide on Spotify. Composed by duo Sachet-Parampara, the track perfectly complements the whodunit film about two twin sisters locked in a vicious rivalry, who are suspects in an attempted murder case.
READ: The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny
Behind every love story is the coming together of two families, a sentiment that lies at the heart of Kiran Desai’s The Loneliness of Sonia and Sunny. Published by Hogarth, the novel was shortlisted for the 2025 Booker Prize and is Kiran’s first novel in 20 years since The Inheritance of Loss, which won the 2006 Booker Prize.
The 670-page book tells the story of Sonia and Sunny, both Indian immigrants to the United States, who have a chance encounter on an overnight train in India. They are immediately captivated, yet also embarrassed by the fact that their grandparents had once tried to matchmake them. The narrative is unlike a traditional love story, for it focuses more on the characters’ families. It explores the complicated bonds that link one generation to the next and the many forces that shape our lives, such as country, class, race, and history.
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31 Dec 2025 10:26
