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Movie review: Dhurandhar: The Revenge
Cast: Ranveer Singh, R Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, Rakesh Bedi and Sara Arjun
Writer, director and producer: Aditya Dhar
Rating: 8.5/10
THERE is a particular kind of cinematic ambition that doesn’t politely request your attention, it commands it. Dhurandhar: The Revenge belongs squarely in that category. It doesn’t unfold so much as it engulfs, arriving with the quiet subtlety of thunder and keeping that intensity for the better part of four hours.
Directed by Aditya Dhar, this sequel is bigger, it's louder, it's bloodier. It evolves from a high octane espionage action-thriller into something far more.
Dhurandhar: The Revenge doesn’t just pick up where the first film left off. It grabs you by the collar and transports you back into Lyari, where we follow Hamza Ali Mazari (aka Jaskirat Singh Rangi), played by a career defining Ranveer Singh. Singh doesn’t merely perform here, he embodies. If Lootera showcased his restraint, this is his volcanic eruption. He shapeshifts between wounded son, calculated spy and force of vengeance with such ease that you start wondering how he does it all. Let’s just say, I feel the awards coming in already.
The sequel is part spy thriller, part crime saga and part political drama. Essentially it’s a cinematic buffet where everything is spicy, and nothing is subtle. And yet, beneath the violence (which, fair warning, is dialled up to an almost Tarantino meets Anurag Kashyap level of gore), lies an emotional core. Now, let’s address the elephant in the theatre. This film is nearly four hours long. That’s not a runtime, that’s a commitment.
You could attend a wedding, fly across the country and back or watch Dhurandhar: The Revenge. And yet, against all cinematic odds, it rarely drags. The chapter-based-storytelling keeps things zipping along. Just when you think it might slow down, there’s another twist, reveal or well-staged action set-piece that pulls you right back in. The film’s greatest triumph, however, lies in its writing. Dhar constructs a narrative that weaves fictional storytelling with echoes of real-world events. And although I have long grown tired of the India-Pakistan war narrative in Hindi cinema, this film finds a way to recontextualise that familiar terrain with creativity.
The twists, turns and well-timed plot gut-punches keep you locked in. It is, however, a work of fiction, but the borrowed real-life events are reimagined in a way that is incredibly intriguing. The supporting cast is excellent.
R Madhavan brings gravitas, Sanjay Dutt swaggers in with humour and Arjun Rampal is menacing in all the right ways. But the real scene stealer is Rakesh Bedi whose comedic timing provides relief without diminishing the film’s tension. Sara Arjun, despite limited screen time, anchors the film’s emotional beats with sincerity in a role that could have easily been reduced to tears and background music, but thankfully isn’t.
Technically, the film is a beast. The cinematography is striking, and the action choreography is relentless. The production design is immersive, with a Lyari recreated in Thailand that is absurdly convincing. Shashwat Sachdev’s background score is effective in keeping the film’s pulse, even if the songs themselves don’t quite reach the highs of the first film.
The inclusion of Bappi Lahiri and Kalyanji Anandji’s music is fun in spots. Yes, it’s long. Yes, the dubbing occasionally wobbles and it is obvious that some dialogue has been changed due to the censor board. And yes, the violence is brutal and borderline excessive. But when it works (and it often does), it’s electrifying. Dhurandhar: The Revenge isn’t restrained or remotely interested in being polite. It’s an experience that demands big-screen attention and possibly a recovery period afterward. Catch it now at a cinema near you.