Filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia has never been drawn to conventional romance on screen. The director of Ghamasaan recently said he has no interest in making an urban love story, calling the genre less compelling than the many pressing subjects he prefers to explore. In an interview with HT City, Dhulia explained that love stories only become worth telling when they carry a larger cultural or social conflict, pointing to classics like Mughal-e-Azam and Ek Duje Ke Liye as rare examples.
Why Tigmanshu Dhulia Rejects Urban Love Stories
When asked whether he would ever consider directing an urban love story, Dhulia’s answer was direct. “Absolutely not,” he told HT City. The filmmaker said his disinterest comes from a simple place: he does not watch love stories himself, and he finds far more interesting subjects to explore.
“It’s because there are far more interesting subjects apart from love stories. I don’t watch love stories.”
Dhulia expanded on his reasoning by pointing to the scale of real-world problems. He said that while a film should be engaging and entertaining, the idea of focusing on a romance between two people feels limited when so much else is happening in the world.
“Duniya mein itni problem chal rahi hai, and okay, the film should not appear like a newspaper, it should be engaging and entertaining. But if so many things are happening, why the hell should I be interested in somebody’s love story? It’s happening between two people.”
The Only Love Stories Worth Making
Dhulia did leave room for one exception. He said a love story can be worth making if it carries a conflict that goes beyond the personal. He named two classic films as examples: Mughal-e-Azam and Ek Duje Ke Liye.
“It’s not worth making a film until it’s a love story like Mughal-e-Azam or Ek Duje Ke Liye, where there is a language or cultural conflict.”
The director said he cannot comment on today’s love stories because he does not watch them. This stance aligns with his long-standing preference for stories rooted in crime, politics, and social realities. His first film, Haasil (2003), was set in student politics. Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster explored a decadent society. Paan Singh Tomar and Ghamasaan returned to the world of dacoits, while Shaagird was a cop drama. He also made a film on Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose and directed Milan Talkies, which he described as a love story.
“It’s not something I do all the time, I’m just known for it. My first film Haasil was on student politics, it was a semi-urban film. Saib Biwi Aur Gangster talks about the decadence-fueled society. Paan Singh Tomar and then Ghamasaan, these are the only two films which are dacoit films. otherwise all of the other films are different.”
Ghamasaan and the Shift to Streaming
Dhulia’s latest directorial work, Ghamasaan, arrived on ZEE5 on September 11, 2026. The crime thriller stars Arshad Warsi as the dacoit leader Maharaj and Pratik Gandhi as STF officer Aditya. Rajpal Yadav is also part of the cast. The series is set in the rugged landscape of Bundelkhand and follows a cat-and-mouse chase between the two leads.
The director said Ghamasaan was originally intended for a theatrical release, but it eventually premiered on the streaming platform instead. This change reportedly frustrated him, as he considers the project a commercial film rather than an unconventional one. He pointed to its action-driven elements and simple storyline.
“It is a commercial film. They don’t understand whether it is a commercial film or not. It is a simple name, ‘Ghamasaan’. There are guns and bullets. It is a simple story. The story is conventional.”
Directing Over Acting
Dhulia has worked both behind and in front of the camera, but he said directing remains his primary profession. He described acting as a “luxury.”
“I started as a director, so that is my work. Acting is a luxury.”
The filmmaker graduated from the National School of Drama, where he specialized in acting. He said he did not pursue it professionally because he thought he was a bad actor. His acting career began unexpectedly when Anurag Kashyap, who had worked with him on Shaagird, asked him to take on a role. Dhulia said he did not realize how big the part was until the shoot was about to begin. The confidence came because he knew everyone on the sets of Gangs Of Wasseypur.
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The Filmmaker’s Broader Frustrations
Dhulia’s comments about love stories come amid his broader criticism of how the Hindi film industry operates. He recently told PTI that filmmakers who want to tell stories differently are often stopped from doing so.
“Every film is a struggle. If you want to say a story in a different way, this industry stops us from making good art. The people who greenlit projects here have zero vision. So, you are cursed.”
He argued that following established formulas does not guarantee success and pointed to the industry’s record of unsuccessful films. Dhulia is now working on another film based on the writing of Hindi author Uday Prakash.
Also Read: Tigmanshu Dhulia Recalls Shelved Films with Irrfan Khan and Sunny Deol: I Wasted Many Years
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