Over the last few years, Jio Studios has emerged as one of the most dominant forces in the Indian entertainment industry, and at the heart of this transformation has been Jyoti Deshpande, who is heading the operations at the studio. Its unprecedented success has now received recognition from none other than Reliance Industries Chairman Mukesh Ambani, who highlighted the achievements of Jio Studios and the blockbuster Dhurandhar franchise in his letter to his shareholders.

Mukesh Ambani’s praise for Jio Studios’ success with Dhurandhar franchise is a reflection of Jyoti Deshpande’s remarkable transformation of the banner

Praising the phenomenal performance of Dhurandhar, Ambani said in the letter, “It achieved an unprecedented 40%+ of India’s box office,” he said.

The success of the franchise has cemented Jio Studios’ position as a market leader. Ambani pointed out, “Jio Studios has achieved the unique distinction of having the highest-grossing film three years in a row with Stree 2 in 2024, Dhurandhar in 2025 and Dhurandhar The Revenge in 2026, demonstrating consistency and undisputed leadership,” said Ambani.

The Reliance chairman further underlined the scale of the achievement, stating, “FY 2025-26 saw Jio Studios release ‘the record-smashing spy action thrillers Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar The Revenge (together the Dhurandhar franchise), creating new benchmarks in box office, release strategy, monetisation models and customer engagement, globally,” he stated.

What made the franchise particularly historic was the ambitious release strategy adopted by the studio. The first installment arrived in cinemas in December 2025, while the sequel followed just three months later in March 2026. Reflecting on the unique approach, Ambani noted, “Never before in the world, let alone India, had a film franchise been conceived, financed and shot as two parts and released so close to each other,” he said in the letter.

According to Ambani, the gamble paid off spectacularly. “The first part on its own created a record to become the highest-grossing Indian film of all time. The film saw an unprecedented run of 15 straight weeks till the second part hit the cinema screens amid massive anticipation and smashed records set by the first part.”

The extraordinary performance of the Dhurandhar franchise is also a reflection of the vision Jyoti Deshpande has pursued since taking charge of building Jio Studios from scratch. In a recent exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, she revealed that the studio always believed in the film’s potential.

Speaking about expectations from Dhurandhar, Deshpande said, “When you greenlight a film, at the corner of your eye, you want to keep the economics. I don’t make films looking at the downside; like it should not be more than this downside. I always play for the upside and not really looking to break even in a film. So, we thought it’s clutter-breaking enough. Animal was an adult film. It showed that it can do a certain amount of business. So, we thought, even if this does Rs. 400-500 crores box office, we will be home. In our mind, that was the number.”

What followed exceeded even those expectations, with Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar The Revenge rewriting box-office records and becoming cultural phenomena.

Deshpande believes the studio’s success is not the result of a single lucky hit but of a consistent strategy. She explained, “The fact that three years in a row – Stree 2, Dhurandhar, Dhurandhar The Revenge – top three films of 2024, 2025 and 2026 has been ours, shows that it’s not an accident. It’s not a one-trick pony.”

Deshpande also shed light on the principles that guide her decision-making process. Referring to a dialogue from Dhurandhar, she said, “In Dhurandhar, there is a line, ‘Nazar aur sabr’. Along with that you need rigour. You can’t greenlight something just because an actor is available or someone has dates. The rigour that you need to spend in getting the story right; in trying to create that perfect storm across all departments. All departments need to fire to make that magic. For example, in Laapataa Ladies, all departments fired and there was a little piece of magic. Same with Dhurandhar.”

That emphasis on discipline often means turning down projects. Speaking about the toughest aspect of her job, she admitted, “Saying ‘no’ to a lot of films. The power of no is not easy. You are tempted to say ‘yes’ to a substandard stories and think that along the way you will somewhere repair it. So, that discipline of saying ‘no’ unless you have full conviction that has been tough.”

She further explained the criteria she considers before backing any project: “The uniqueness of the premise of a film. How different and clutter-breaking is the premise of a film. The conviction and intent of the captain of the ship in terms of the filmmaker and how much skin in the game do they have. I like to see most of my budget showing up on screen rather than on other below-the-line activities.”

The recognition from the Ambani family has been particularly meaningful for Deshpande, who has overseen the studio’s journey since its inception. She said, “They are incredibly proud. From 2018, I set up this studio from the ground up; it’s a baby. From zero we set it up and we have reached this far. It can’t happen without the support of the (Ambani) family. They have given us wings to fly. They are extremely proud for the success that we have been able to achieve. I think the testimony to that is that Jio Studios, this time, made to the RIL investor presentation. An example of Dhurandhar was given. Three-four pages were dedicated to our small business. I think our zeroes are very less as compared to the RIL balance sheet, although we may be the largest in our industry.”

With three consecutive years of industry-leading blockbusters and the historic success of the Dhurandhar franchise, Jyoti Deshpande’s leadership has transformed Jio Studios from a new entrant into a powerhouse of Indian cinema. The acknowledgment from Mukesh Ambani himself serves as perhaps the strongest endorsement yet of the studio’s remarkable journey and its growing influence on the global entertainment landscape.

Also Read: EXCLUSIVE: Jio Studios head Jyoti Deshpande breaks silence on Dhurandhar backlash: “We made a film against terrorism, not against any community”