Dhurandhar Review {3.0/5} & Review Rating
Star Cast: Ranveer Singh in the lead along with Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun
Director: Aditya Dhar
Dhurandhar Movie Review Synopsis:
DHURANDHAR is the story of a mysterious man who creates havoc in Pakistan. Ajay Sanyal (R Madhavan), Chief of IB, is disturbed by the 1999 Air India hijack episode and the shocking attack on the Parliament of India on December 13, 2001. In 2002, External Affairs Minister Devarat Kapoor (Akash Khurana) accepts Ajay's proposal of Operation Dhurandhar. Accordingly, 2 years later, an Indian secret agent (Ranveer Singh) enters Pakistan and assumes the identity of Hamza Ali Mazari. He gets employed at a juice shop in the politically volatile area of Lyari, Karachi. From the juice owner Aalam (Gaurav Gera), Hamza learns that two rival gangs operate in Lyari, one is run by Babu Dakait and the other is run by Rehman Balochi aka Rehman Dacait (Akshaye Khanna). As his name suggests, Rehman is from Balochistan and Hamza also claims that he's from the same region. Hamza rescues Rehman's elder son from an attack by Babu Dakait. This helps him earn the trust of Rehman and he joins his gang. Rehman is close to local politician Jameel Jamali (Rakesh Bedi), who is insecure with the former's hold in Lyari. This motivates Jameel to bring suspended police officer Chaudhary Aslam (Sanjay Dutt) back into the force with a single motive of keeping Rehman in check. On the other hand, Rehman becomes friendly with Major Iqbal (Arjun Rampal), ISI, and happily helps the latter in his war against India. Since Hamza is a core member of Rehman's gang, he also gets first-hand information on the ISI's strategies against India. While Hamza is working for the sake of his country, he falls in love with Jameel's daughter, Yalina (Sara Arjun). What happens next forms the rest of the film.
Dhurandhar Movie Story Review:
Aditya Dhar's story, inspired by true events, is fascinating. Aditya Dhar's screenplay (additional screenplay by Shivkumar V Panicker and Ojas Gautam) is captivating and unlike the other spy or Pakistan-based films. However, the writing gets stretched. Aditya Dhar's dialogues are dramatic. But a film like this ought to have more massy one-liners.
Aditya Dhar's direction is exemplary. Just like URI: THE SURGICAL STRIKE [2019], DHURANDHAR is divided into chapters. The text that appears on screen, whether its names of characters and episodes or even certain crucial dialogues, make for a unique watch. At a crucial juncture, the screen turns red and real-life conversations between terrorists and their handlers are played. Again, this is a one-of-a-kind thing that helps the film stand out. Of course, there’s no denying that the film has enough gripping and cinematic moments as well. The manner in which a man from India manages to infiltrate deep into Pakistan’s political system is quite entertaining and even intriguing. Moreover, his rise seems organic and is not unconvincing at all. The attack on Rehman’s son in the marriage is memorable and so is the scene where the whole gang of Babu is finished. The intermission arrives at a nail-biting juncture. Post-interval, the way Hamza goes to insane lengths to save his boss makes for a great watch. The finale fight is also worth a watch.
On the flipside, the film majorly suffers on account of its very long length. DHURANDHAR has a run time of 214 minutes and moreover, the interval point comes after 2 hours. One can argue that even ANIMAL [2023] or PUSHPA 2 [2024] were lengthy. But those were conventional mass entertainers. DHURANDHAR, meanwhile, is a mass cinema of a different kind. In some places, the narrative seems a bit dry and stretched. Hence, there are moments where the audience, especially the masses, would lose interest. Also, it’s a two-part saga and a section of the audience might have reservations over the fact that despite such a lengthy run time, the story is far from over. The other issue with the film is the romantic track. The manner in which the girl of a politician runs away while the politician looks the other way is hard to digest.
Dhurandhar Official Trailer | Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal | Aditya Dhar
Dhurandhar Movie Review Performances:
Ranveer Singh delivers one of the most accomplished performances of his career. He gets into the skin of the character and the way he has performed is seen to be believed. Especially the scene where he’s vulnerable is quite praiseworthy. Akshaye Khanna communicates a lot just through his eyes and expressions. The actor’s sheer presence adds a lot to the film and his performance elevates the impact in many scenes. Sanjay Dutt is credited with a special appearance and does well. Arjun Rampal, too, has limited screen time and oozes terror and how. R Madhavan is terrific and leaves a huge mark. Sara Arjun is let down by the writing but makes a smashing debut. Her screen presence is electrifying. Rakesh Bedi lends able support. Shashwat Sachdev's music Gaurav Gera, Naveen Kaushik (Donga) and Danish Pandor (Uzair) are memorable. Akash Khurana, Saumya Tandon (Rehman's wife), Manav Gohil (Sushant Bansal), Bimal Oberoi (Bimal Oberoi) and the actors playing the Khanani brothers do very well.
Dhurandhar movie music and other technical aspects:
Music is decent. The title track has already become a rage. 'Ishq Jalakar – Karvaan' is the best of the lot in terms of placement. 'Gehra Hua' is decent. 'Run Down The City – Monica' is well picturized. 'Shararat' and 'Ez Ez' are passable. Shashwat Sachdev's background score adds to the madness.
Vikash Nowlakha's cinematography is spectacular. Saini S Johray's production design is realistic while Smriti Chauhan's costumes are authentic. Aejaz Gulab, Sea Young Oh, Yannick Ben and Ramazan Bulut's action is very disturbing. Envision VFX, Philm CGI, and Resonance Digital's VFX is satisfactory. Shivkumar V Panicker's editing should have been much better. The film should have had a run time of under 3 hours for a better impact.
Dhurandhar Movie Review Conclusion:
On the whole, DHURANDHAR is a well-made, ambitious big-screen experience with top-notch craft, memorable moments and some truly outstanding performances, led by a career-best turn from Ranveer Singh and a superbly controlled, scene-lifting act by Akshaye Khanna. However, the excessive run time, dry stretches and the decision to tell this as a two-part saga will restrict its appeal for a section of the audience, especially those expecting a more racy, massy thriller. Ultimately, while the film has all the ingredients to win over viewers who have the patience for its length, its box office performance will heavily depend on word of mouth and how much the audience is willing to embrace such a long, tonally intense espionage drama.
