Bollywood megastar Hrithik Roshan is basking in the digital tsunami unleashed by the teaser drop for “War 2,” with the actor’s return as super-spy Kabir Dhaliwal sending social platforms into overdrive.
The teaser for “War 2” dropped on Tuesday, featuring a heavyweight showdown between Roshan and “RRR” star NTR Jr. It has already racked up some 25 million views on X and 3 million on Instagram, across languages.
The film is part of Indian studio Yash Raj Films‘ spy universe. “War 2” also stars Kiara Advani in the female lead, marking her entry into the universe. The film is directed by Ayan Mukerji, best known for his work on the fantasy adventure “Brahmastra,” making this his first foray into the high-octane spy thriller genre.
“‘War’ is a really special franchise for me,” Roshan says. “Seeing the appreciation that ‘War 2’s teaser is getting, seeing how people are pouring their love for NTR, Kiara, Ayan, for me, and the entire team makes me really happy. It is not easy making films of this scale, and we have given our best to make ‘War 2’ an action spectacle for people.”
For Roshan, whose box office dominance spans decades in the industry, the chance to revisit Kabir Dhaliwal offered both creative fulfillment and fan connection.
“I’ve always been a huge fan of the action genre since I was a kid, and I really have fun whenever I do films like ‘War 2,’” Roshan says. “So, for me, I had the best time reliving Kabir – a character that has given me love from all quarters for years now.”
“I’m delighted and humbled by the love and feedback that ‘War 2’ is getting right from the start of our campaign,” Roshan added. “I can’t wait to see the reaction of people when they see ‘War 2’ on the big screen.”
Created by producer Aditya Chopra, the spy universe kicked off with the Tiger franchise, starring Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif, beginning with “Ek Tha Tiger” (2012) and “Tiger Zinda Hai” (2017), and continued with “War” (2019), starring Roshan and Tiger Shroff. These were followed by “Pathaan,” starring Shah Rukh Khan, Deepika Padukone and John Abraham, and “Tiger 3,” both in 2023. “Alpha,” starring Alia Bhatt and Sharvari, the first female-led film in the universe is due after “War 2,” followed by “Tiger vs Pathaan,” featuring both Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan.
In the Tiger franchise, Salman Khan plays Avinash Singh Rathore, AKA Tiger, who belongs to Indian intelligence agency RAW and Kaif plays Zoya Humaini from Pakistan’s ISI. In “War,” Roshan is rogue RAW agent Kabir Dhaliwal and Shroff his protégé Khalid Rahmani. In “Pathaan,” Shah Rukh Khan plays exiled RAW agent Pathaan and Padukone ISI agent Rubina Mohsin.
Tiger has an extended cameo in “Pathaan” and the film also features Colonel Sunil Luthra (Ashutosh Rana), who first appeared in “War” and is in “Tiger 3” as well. The character Pathaan has a cameo in “Tiger 2” as does Kabir Dhaliwal.
“War 2” is scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release on Aug. 14, and will be available in the Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu languages.
