Dhar was born on 12 March 1983 in New Delhi into a Kashmiri Pandit family.[4][5] His mother, Sunita Dhar, was a former dean at Delhi University, where he also graduated before spending nearly two decades in music theatre, which helped shape his screenwriting career.[6][7] His elder brother, Lokesh Dhar, has served as a leading studio executive at UTV Motion Pictures and later Fox Star Studios. In 2021, he and Lokesh co-founded the production company B62 Studios.[8]
Dhar was scheduled to collaborate with Vicky Kaushal again for the mythological superhero film The Immortal Ashwatthama.[29] In 2021, the film was planned as a trilogy and was expected to begin filming;[30] however, it was shelved due to the COVID-19 pandemic and budgetary constraints.[31][32] Dhar subsequently produced the films under his B62 Studios banner which includes the critically acclaimed political film Article 370 (2024) and the horror thriller Baramulla (2025); in which he also served a co-writer of the films.[33]
Observers have noted Dhar's cinematic techniques and storytelling ambition, noting that his film’s scale, set design, realistic action sequences and structural narrative style in chapters often leads the film.[44] His films embody restrained patriotism, celebrates national pride without making jingoistic.[45] Dhar's directorial debut, Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019) received acclaim for realistic war sequences and emotional quotients.[46]The Guardian reported that the film was described as “patriotic by some and propaganda by others".[47] Dhar has rejected propagandic criticism in interviews, arguing that such labels often reflect critics preconceptions more than the film itself, and audiences are intelligent enough to distinguish genuine storytelling from overt propaganda.[48] He has said repeatedly that he doesn’t pay attention to ideologically framed criticism, he added that Uri was conceived as an army film with operational reality, dedicated to the Indian Army.[49][50]
During the promotions of Article 370 (2024), Dhar said, "Cinema should be built on well-researched narratives with a clear artistic purpose, regardless of the noise around political interpretation".[51] His second directorial, an spy thriller Dhurandhar (2025) received mixed to positive response from the critics. It garnered widespread acclaim for the technical aspects, narratives style, use of music and performances of ensemble cast, and criticism for mixing facts and fiction, while some commentators called it politically propagandic.[52] While several other commentators and industry figures such as Ram Gopal Varma and Sandeep Reddy Vanga have praised Dhar's ability to craft high-voltage sequences and layered character portrayals that feel both immersive and emotionally charged, suggesting that Dhar combines a commercial sensibility with to detail and thematic coherence.[53][54]Anurag Kashyap defended Dhurandhar and called it well made spy thriller,[55] comparing it to international spy thrillers such as Zero Dark Thirty.[56] Meanwhile, Aditya Dhar's 2026 movie Dhurandhar: The Revenge has recieved mixed reviews with criticism over whitewashing the effects of demonetization in India. [57]
Filmography
Key
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Denotes film or TV productions that have not yet been released
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