From Dhurandhar to soon-to-release sports drama Glory on Netflix: Aditya Dhar’s ‘peak-detailing’ impact now looms over OTT

Writer-director Karan Anshuman started his career with Bangistan (2015), a black comedy starring Riteish Deshmukh and Pulkit Samrat, which didn’t perform well at the box office. However, things changed when Farhan Akhtar and Ritesh Sidhwani backed him to direct Inside Edge in 2017, and it was a major turning point in his career. Since then, there has been no looking back. Now, he has teamed up again with Pulkit for his upcoming series Glory, which is set to premiere on Netflix on May 1.

What sets Glory apart from the other shows?

Recently, he sat down with The Economic Times and opened up about what led to the creation of Glory. Unlike typical sports dramas that celebrate success, his focus was on something rarely explored. He pointed out that while films often highlight underdog stories that lead to greatness, they ignore a much larger reality. “We’ve heard of so many stories… who’ve made it from being a complete underdog,” he said, but questioned what happens to those who don’t make it.

He elaborated that the winners we see represent only a tiny fraction. “Like the people who do are like the 1% or the 0.1%, but what happens to the other 99%,” he said, referring to those who put in equal effort but remain unseen. This idea became one of the core themes of Glory, exploring the mindset, struggles and emotional journeys of those who fall short despite their dedication.

Another strong theme that shaped the series was parental pressure. The Inside Edge director spoke about how children in Indian society are often pushed to excel in every aspect – academics, sports and beyond. He questioned whether pushing too hard always leads to success.

“We’ve seen many real-life sports stories of people like the Williams sisters, where the father is overbearing, they hate what they do, but at the same time, they ended up becoming household names because they’ve achieved such great heights of glory,” he quipped. Drawing parallels with real-life sports figures, he noted how strict parenting has sometimes produced champions, but not without emotional cost.

Bringing these ideas together, Glory tells the story of a highly successful coach and his sons, who fail to live up to expectations. The contrast creates a layered father-son dynamic filled with tension and disappointment. For Karan Anshuman, this emotional conflict is central to the narrative. He admitted that themes of family dysfunction, especially between fathers and sons, have often found their way into his work.

The setting of the series also plays a crucial role. Instead of a glamorous backdrop, Glory is rooted in small-town Haryana. The region’s strong boxing culture inspired the story. Places like Bhiwani, known for producing top boxers, became a reference point during research. Anshuman said he was fascinated by how entire communities revolve around the sport, with countless training centres and young aspirants.

During his research, he came across stories of families dedicating their lives to their children’s training. Many parents decide early on that their child will become a boxer, investing years of effort and sacrifice. Looking back on this, he said it was striking to see children as young as 10 or 12 being pushed into such demanding paths. The idea of a child preparing to take punches in pursuit of success felt both intense and thought-provoking to him.

While Glory begins as a sports story, it does not remain confined to one genre. The director revealed to us that the team wanted to add more layers to the narrative. This led to the inclusion of a murder mystery, turning the series into what he describes as a sports thriller. The mix of crime, family drama and sports aims to offer something different from conventional storytelling.

Karan Anshuman reacts to Dhurandhar’s ‘peak detailing’

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