#Dhurandhar Review
#Dhurandhar
2025- Hindi
Starring : Ranveer Singh, R.Madhavan, Akshaye Khanna , Arjun Rampal , Sanjay Dutt and Sara Arjun
Directed by Aditya Dhar
Performance wise , Ranveer Singh is Hamza is absolutely fantastic. While he doesn't have much dialogues, he literally shoulders the entire film with his towering presence. But the OG Showstopper is Akshaye Khanna as Rehman Dakait. He is Brutal , He is Unhinged, He is Evil and He is everything! Literally drives the 3/4th of the film with his magnanimous presence that fills the entire screen. His character arc is fantastic. Arjun Rampal as Major Iqbal gets a lesser role as they have reserved most of his role for the sequel. There are two scenes where Arjun Rampal scores with his peak evilness. Fantastic Choice. Sanjay Dutt as SP Aslam Chaudhary is more or less an extended cameo and has done good job as typical anti- hero role. Again majority of his portions are reserved for the Sequel. Madhavan as Ajit Sanyal gets a small role and is absolutely phenomenal. Sara Arjun does a confident debut but her role feels a bit awkward and could've been cast a little bit older actress. Rakeshi Bedi as Jameel is hilarious and fantastic. Special Mention to the actors who played the roles of Donga , Uzair Baloch and Mohammed Aalam, they actually justifed the tag 'Small role , Big Impact'.
Technically the film is Top Notch. Right from Music by Saurabh Sachdev , Cinematography by Vikash Nowlakha to Editing by Shivkumar everything was pitch perfect. While there are some scenes that needed minor trimming alone , otherwise the film is fantastic. The film's usage of practical effects instead of VFX feels very organic.
The film opens with the aftermath of IC814 Kandhar Hijack and how the Incident creates a blackmark on the country's defense failure. The following sequence of Parliament Attack work as the Inciting incident for the films plot to take off. Then we are introduced to Hamza Ali Mazar who enters Lyari in Karachi to infiltrate Rehman Baloch's Gang. The Entire first half works as a Setup to introduce the key characters such as Aalam , Arshad Pappu, Babu Dakait , Donga , Uzair Baloch, Jameel Jamaal, etc and feels very effective. While some portions might feel like over information dumping, it works for a later sequence. The Concept of splitting the film into Chapters work as advantage and makes the film into small small stories to follow. The first half's length alone comes near to 120 mins (2 hrs) but honestly except for few minor dips here and there , the film doesn't lag.
The second half largely centers on the aftermath of one of the nation’s most unsettling terror attacks, and how it personally devastates the protagonist when he discovers he was, unknowingly, a silent link in its chain. This gives the Protagonist an personal revenge angle too. Though the Marriage song feels a bit out of the place, it doesn't hinder the flow instead enhances the sequences. The only Emotional Scene in the Second half involving Sara Arjun and Ranveer also works well . The Entire Red Screen portion will shock the audience to the core with the Gut wrenching audio.The Pre Climax Car Sequence was meticulously planned and it was executed in a flawless manner. The tension , the hype and the violence it holds was absolutely bonkers.The Level of Violence in both the halves were peaks and the films positively utilizes the "A" certificate to its fullest and doesn't feels forced at all. The Climax Lead to the Sequel and the Small Bit of Teaser for "Dhurandhar: Revenge" was just absolutely fire.
Talking about the Negatives, the film's biggest drawback is the predictable flow in which the film moves. I can understand the film is based on True Events and you cannot manipulate that but atleast the fictional sequences added could've been tweaked here and there to include some small twists or reveals. The film's Linear Narration and occasional more than necessary information dump alone feels like the film's minor drawbacks.
Talking about Writer Director Aditya Dhar, he has taken inspiration from various True Events and tried to weave a grounded Spy thriller around it and he has achieved it completely. The film stays true to its genre and doesn't even deviate for a second. The film's commitment to be grounded makes this film a compelling spy thriller. Kudos to the Dialogue writer who wrote the dialogues. They were sharp and straight on point without sugar coating anything. Aditya Dhar following his Directorial Debut URI : The Surgical Strike once again delivers a masterful spy thriller that is nothing in short of a masterpiece. Even the so called Lengthy Runtime doesn't even matter as the screenplay is very engaging and moves in a fast pace leaving no lags. The Sequel Lead also isn't just another fancy eye wash or cash grab as a solid plot is there for the Sequel. Looking forward for Dhurandhar: Revenge on March 2026.
Overall: Dhurandhar is an fantastic spy thriller that is Grounded and stays true to the genre. The films is torpedoed by flawless performances of all the leads Ranveer, Madhavan , Akshaye , Arjun and Dutt . A Technically Top Tier thriller that is definitely worth watching in theatre.
Rating: 4.5/5
*⚠️ : The Film Utilizes it's A Certificate to its fullest and has some Gut wrenching Bloody Violent sequences, so if you are faint hearted or doesn't like much of Gore or Blood , kindly avoid the film*
Digital Rights - Netflix
Television Rights - Unsold
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