Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar recorded a solid opening on December 5, collecting an estimated net of ₹13.67 crore in India by evening.
Dhurandhar Review: An Extensive Spy Thriller with Star Power and Character.
Aditya Dhar spy film, Dhurandhar, is a grandiose, elaborate, and generally long film, which is quite successful because of adherence to realism, commanding cast, and good directing. Although the 3 and 1/2 hour long run-time causes the story to drag, the sheer amount of character work and emotional investment in the film make the viewer stay engaged.
Plot and Direction
Aditya Dhar, because of the chaptered nature of such films as Uri, begins with his story by basing it on real-life events: an hijack in Kandahar in 1999 and the attack of Parliament in 2001. The movie focuses on the operation Dhurandhar, with agent Hamza ( Ranveer singh ) depicted as a Pakistani to get into the terror groups by masquerading. His mission gets him in a clash with the scheming Rehman Baloch (Akshaye Khanna) and Major Iqbal (Arjun Rampal) of the ISI.
The direction of Aditya Dhar is strong and establishes an interesting world with a spectacular production design by Saini S. Johray especially in the revisitation of Pakistan. The initial half carefully creates this world though the time taken is almost two hours and its inclusion of an unwarranted romantic theme irritates the audience. However, the second part changes gears successfully, creating tension which leads to a satisfying, high stakes climax, which is not ashamed of bloodshed.
Performances and Technical Strengths
The cast is the undoubted lifeline of the film:
- Ranveer Singh performs an exceptionally subdued role, which is unusual to the actor. He brings out the inner struggle of his undercover agent with conviction.
- Akshaye Khanna puts Singh beat by beat, putting an unstrained swagger on the calculating Rehman.
- Sanjay Dutt works well in a special appearance as Chaudhary Aslam and natural in the machismo of the role.
- The supporting cast with a new face like Sara Arjun and a wonderful Rakesh Bedi as the greasy politician are also well cast.
The background score by Shashwat Sachdev is technically a marvelous asset, but the use of stand-alone songs (such as an appearance by Krystle D Souza and Ayesha Khan) tends to disrupt the pace with hard earned by the film.
Final Verdict
Dhurandhar is most effective as a character study that is done in great detail and then encircles it with an expansive spy narrative that is a protest against the superhero myth of the spy. Although the storytelling is luxurious and might have been refined by shaving it by half an hour, the emotional appeal, the straightforward nature, and the genius of the lead actors makes it a solid, worthy viewing. The mid-review announcement of a Part 2 (planned in March 2026) is indicative of more to be of this dense world to consider.
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