Dhurandhar didn’t just succeed, it completely transcended expectations as to what a spy thriller in Bollywood should look and feel like. The excess of over-the-top action, romance and absurdity in logic has all been stripped away, and Aditya Dhar delivered a raw and real experience. With his directorial debut in Uri: The Surgical Strike, he delivered a film whose main themes were patriotism and geopolitical conflict and has continued in the same vein as a writer with films like Article 370 and Baramulla. With Dhurandhar, Aditya Dhar continued on a similar premise, entangling complex geopolitical relations between India and Pakistan and telling us a story of the operations of terror networks in Pakistan, weaving together fiction and real-life incidents that have affected India. He had a phenomenal cast to back his vision, including Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Sara Arjun, and Rakesh Bedi. He delivered a lifetime experience that minted millions at the box office. This has naturally raised the hype for Dhurandhar: The Revenge with audiences expecting a bigger and better sequel.
Picking up after the death of Rehman Dekait (Akshaye Khanna), the sequel takes us back into the underbelly of Lyari with Hamza Ali Mazari, also known as Jaskirat Singh Rangi (Ranveer Singh) and Uzair Baloch (Danish Pandor) rising in the power structure of the Baloch gang. After using SP Chaudhary Aslam (Sanjay Dutt) to eliminate Rehman, Jaskirat, operating as Hamza, must continue his mission of dismantling the terror network and tackle Major Iqbal (Arjun Rampal) and Bade Sahab. How does Jaskirat navigate through this mission of high stakes and tension?
Aditya Dhar, with his third film, has established himself as one of the best storytellers in India, and what sets him apart is his clarity of vision. As producer, director and writer, he manages to create a world which is meticulously researched and intelligently written. The film thrives on its ability to balance political dynamics, gangster drama and human emotions while weaving together real incidents into a fictional framework that does not waste a second of its 229-minute runtime. The screenplay has also carried on from the first part, with the first half focusing mainly on world-building and the character of Jaskirat Singh Rangi, who becomes Hamza Ali Mazari, which culminates in a very hard-hitting interval. The second half is where the pacing starts to pick up with intelligent twists, brutal action, and a narrative that keeps your eyes glued to the screen.
Aditya Dhar has yet again been supported by stupendous performances by his actors. Ranveer Singh continues in the same vein from Dhurandhar, nailing every nuance that was expected of him, be it as Hamza or as Jaskirat, devouring the role given to him and launching himself into another orbit with a role of a lifetime backed with a lifetime performance. Arjun Rampal is not far behind. As Major Iqbal, he gives Ranveer stiff toe-to-toe competition, serving as the perfect counterbalance to Ranveer. R. Madhavan, as expected, portrays Ajay Sanyal at his natural best, just as he did in Dhurandhar. Rakesh Bedi provides a few moments of comic relief without really disrupting the tone of the film. Sanjay Dutt and Sara Arjun manage to hold their own.
The film is technically just as brilliant. Cinematographer Vikash Nowlakha captures the setting just as brilliantly as he did with Dhurandhar. The visuals are not just striking but keep you immersed in the film. Shashwat Sachdev’s background score has been slightly toned down from Dhurandhar and doesn’t give you the same high that Dhurandhar gave. The songs are enjoyable just as they were in the prequel.
Ultimately, Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar: The Revenge treat the spy thriller genre with a level of seriousness that has rarely ever been done in Bollywood. Calling both films generational is not an exaggeration; it is a very well-earned and deserved compliment. It shows the great research, writing, and performances and the clarity of staying grounded and real in a genre that has often lost its way in pursuit of desperation for commercial success.
Rating: 4.5/5