Dhurandhar Review

Director, Aditya Dhar, made a stunning debut in 2010 with ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’. It was one of those rare films that won both critical acclaim and box-office success. He even won a national award for best director for that film. Six years after his debut, he teamed up with Ranveer Singh and came up with ‘Dhurandhar-Part 1’. The film boasted of multiple renowned actors like Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, etc. Just like his debut film, Aditya Dhar, wrote the story of the film by getting inspired by real-life incidents, with the backdrop of India and Pakistan and made it a two-part Espionage action thriller film. After being in the news with its stunning trailer, the first part of the ‘Dhurandhar’, was released in theatres the other day. Did Ranveer Singh register one more hit after the hugely successful, Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani, in 2023? Did the director, Aditya Dhar, make yet another gripping action thriller film? Did the story of the film really deserve so many notable actors? At three hours and thirty-two minutes runtime, was the film made in a gripping manner? Let’s figure it out with a detailed analysis.

What is it about?

After the ‘Indian Airlines Flight 814’ hijack incident at Kandahar in 1999, Ajay Sanyal(R. Madhavan), Chief of the Intelligence Bureau (India), proposes ‘Operation Dhurandhar’, to protect India from the terrorists’ activities. As part of the operation, he infiltrates, Jaskirat Singh Rangi Aka Hamza Ali Mazari(Ranveer Singh), into the gang of Rehman Dakait(Akshaye Khanna) in Lyari, Pakistan. What did, Hamza Ali Mazari, do to gain the trust of Rehman Dakait? Where and why did Ajay Sanyal select Jaskirat Singh Rangi Aka Hamza Ali and turn him into a spy? What is the backstory of Jaskirat Singh Rangi Aka Hamza Ali? Forms the rest of the story.

Performances:

The film has at least ten renowned actors playing crucial characters and at least another ten actors playing important characters. Almost every character in the film has a purpose and drives the story forward. It is one of those films where every actor gave their best or one of their best performances. Among all, Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna and R. Madhavan, delivered standout performances.

Ranveer Singh in the role of Jaskirat Singh Rangi a.k.a. Hamza Ali Mazari, an Indian Spy who is infiltrated among the gangsters in Pakistan and Balochistan, delivered a top-notch performance. He looked believable as a Spy and his performance during the emotional sequences deserved a special mention. Akshaye Khanna in the role of Rehman Dakait, is first-rate. His performance in the film without a doubt is his best performance to date.

R. Madhavan, in the role of Ajay Sanyal, Chief of the Intelligence Bureau (India), delivered one of his career’s best performances. His look suits so well and his performance, especially during the opening sequence of the film, is simply superb. Rakesh Bedi in the role of Jameel Jamali, a crooked politician based in Pakistan, delivered a top-notch performance. Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun & all other actors played their roles well.

Technicalities:

Shashwat Sachdev came up with good songs and a superb background score. Most of the songs, barring one dance number, blended well with the flow of the film. His original background score along with the fusion of the 80s and 90s chartbuster Bollywood songs, worked out so well. Cinematography by Vikash Nowlakha is stunning in most parts. He made sure the film got a very authentic and realistic look and feel.

Barring a few jumps and abrupt cuts while the film shifts from one chapter to another, editing by Shivkumar V. Panicker, is largely neat. It seems, the director took the decision to go ahead with a lengthy runtime and the editor, just followed his director’s vision. However, the editor should have convinced the director and others in the team to go a crisp action sequence in the climax instead of a prolonged and patience-testing lengthy action episode. Action choreographers deserve a special mention for keeping the action episodes very realistic.

Positives:

1.⁠ ⁠Top Notch Performances
2.⁠ ⁠Direction
3.⁠ ⁠Music
4.⁠ ⁠Dialogues
5.⁠ ⁠A Few Adrenaline-Pumping Episodes

Negatives:

1.⁠ ⁠Length of The Film
2.⁠ ⁠Overemphasis on Pakistan’s Politics
3.⁠ ⁠Climax
4.⁠ ⁠Dragged Out Sequences
5.⁠ ⁠Way Too Much Blood & Gore

Analysis:

With just his debut film ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’, the director, Aditya Dhar, earned the respect of the audience as a director with tremendous potential. Just by looking at the posters and trailer of ‘Dhurandhar’, you can be sure that there’s no way he can make a bad film. And yes, he did not disappoint. He came up with a well-made film that has strong performances, very good writing, great music and superb direction. However, to like ‘Dhurandhar’ unconditionally, you may have to unlearn a lot of things in the way you prefer to watch a movie at a theatre. If your idea of a gripping action thriller film is all about the fast-paced narration, you may not completely like the film. But, if you are fine with a film that resembles a web series which is focused on attention to every detail and adrenaline-pumping episodes at regular intervals, then the chances of you liking the film are high.

Dhurandhar is a two-part film franchise, and the director has already informed the audience that they shot about seven hours of footage for both parts. The first part has a runtime of three hours and thirty-two minutes. The film remains true to its intended message and feels very authentic in its look and feel. You’ll notice at least one adrenaline-pumping scene every twenty minutes, but the drama in between unfolds quite leisurely, with a lot of detail. It’s almost like watching a well-made web series in a theatre. During the initial few minutes of the film, a character says, ‘Infiltration of our people as spies in enemy camps takes a lot of time.’ With that line, the director seems to hint to the audience to expect a web series-style experience throughout. For example, take the climax. Instead of opting for a quick, fast-paced sequence to excite the audience, the director chose a lengthy twenty-minute action episode. While well-shot, it feels somewhat dragged.

You may have watched multiple gangster drama films and Espionage action thriller films in the past. But, did you ever watch an Espionage action thriller with a major portion of the film that focuses on a gangster drama? Dhurandhar is one such film. At heart, it is the story of a spy but the focus is not just restricted to the spy and his heroics. Main ghayal hoon, isiliye ghatak hoon(I am wounded, and that’s why I’m dangerous) – This dialogue sums up the storyline of the film and the lead actor’s characterisation very effectively. It is a story of an Indian Spy who is infiltrated among gangsters and terrorists in Pakistan and we get to see a lot of detail about Pakistan and Balochistan politics. We also get to see the dialogues like ‘This is the new India. We will hunt you by coming into your house, if you intend to hurt us’ and there was a statement which says – ‘Every terrorist attack in the world, directly or indirectly is linked to Pakistan’. So, the chances of you liking the film also depend on your political leanings.

Overall, Dhurandhar – Part one, does not mince words in what it wants to convey and it was backed with superb performances. It is definitely a decent watch. However, it gives the feeling of watching a well-made web series in a theatre with over three hours and thirty minutes of runtime. Even after watching such a lengthy film, we still have to wait until March 2026 to get to know the lead actor’s backstory and his rise, in the second part of the film.

Final Verdict: Partly Engaging & Partly Tiresome

Rating – 2.5/5