Dhurandhar REVIEW: A Dhamakedar Espionage Drama That Tells The Story Of India’s Brave But Lesser Known Sons With Rawness And Power

Film:
Dhurandhar

Director: Aditya Dhar

Writer: Aditya Dhar

Cast: Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun, Rakesh Bedi, Saumya Tandon, Naveen Kaushik, Manav Gohil, Danish Pandor

Runtime: 214 minutes (3 hours, 34 MINUTES)

Platform: In Theatres

Dhurandhar Review

“Ghayal Hoon Isliye Ghatak Hoon” – this dialogue beautifully captures the essence of ‘Dhurandhar’ while telling the resilient story of Ranveer Singh’s Hamza. The lengthiest film of Bollywood in recent times – over 2.5hours long, this Aditya Dhar directorial is raw, explosive and packs a dhamakedar punch that will make you shed a tear as you think of all those unknown brave sons of India who go undercover in order to keep the country and all its residence safe.

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So what is the film all about? Following the IC-814 hijacking (The Kandahar Hijack) in 1999 and the 2001 Parliament attack, IB Chief Ajay Sanyal (R Madhavan) puts forth a plan to have an Indian go undercover and infiltrate the enemy in order to avoid more such terror attacks.

the film sets the stage on a historic backdrop without wasting a moment. Dhar then skillfully expands the narrative to show the political tremors that pushed the Indian intelligence system beyond its limits. as is the rock on which the story stands. Spanning nearly a decade, the film also shows the part Pakistan played in major terror attack – not just in India but globally too, with the use of archival footage. Be it the 9/11 terror attacks or the shocking one that took place in Mumbai on November 26, 2008, the makers have kept the narrative raw. In fact, these sequences will make you feel patriotic without becoming a jingoist.

Scroll below o read more about the film and whether it’s worth a watch in theatres.

What Is Good

Hamza is not a larger-than-life super spy like Tiger or Pathaan, he’s an every day, simple man who is willing to move mountains and rivers to keep his country safe. The makers have made sure his character is human and that the biggest plus for the film. Dhurandhar’s music, cinematography and dialogues along with a well-written but lengthy script also deserve rounds of applauds.

Technical Analysis

Direction

The National Award winning director has once more proved his capabilities and how. He’s left no stone unturned in making sure that Dhurandhar is a film that also with being gritty and gory is also patriotic and honours the unknown heroes of India beautifully. There is no doubt he ran from pillar to post and to the pillar again in order to deliver a project that deserves national and international recognition.

Story & Screenplay

While Aditya Dhar shone bright as the director, his writing also deserves a round of applause. Writing the script for a 3.5 hour long film is no joke and that was clearly visible in the screenplay of Dhurandhar. While the narrative does lag in places, you will still be engrossed in what’s happening on screen and the every in between.

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The dialogues – though heavy, are still massy and will have you repeating them long after the end credits roll by. One drawback – and that cause of the CBFC and not the makers, is the beeping of abuses. Respected censor board, even with you beeping the MCs and BCs, kids even know what’s being said.

Cinematography

Vikash Nowlakha’s cinematography is on-point. Be it the arid mountains in Afghanistan or the deserted locals of Balochistan, or the chaotic streets of Lyari, Mr Vikash has got it all right. He even managed to create some of the worth and shocking terror attacks of India authentically.

Music

Shashwat Sachdev’s music has enhanced the storytelling of Dhurandhan and no one can tell me otherwise. The background score is immersing and the silence that follows will touch you heart. From the innocent sweet romance to the bloody, action and death filled narrative, the music provided perfectly suits their respective situations.

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Star Cast

If you rave about Ranveer Singh after watching his performances in films like Ram-Leela, Bajirao Mastani and Padmaavat, Dhurandhar will take that love and adoration for him and his acting capabilities even higher. Ranveer has undoubtedly delivered one of his career-best performance to date. He’s raw, gritty, and explosively powerful, and deserves tons of love and accolades for it. As Hamza, Singh beautifully portrays a variety of emotions including hurt, love, guild, anger and above all unpredictablity all while appearing calm, charming and innocent. Ranveer has played Hamza, he literally become him and delivered a mind-blowing, mind-blogging performance- especially in the film’s last 30 mins and end credits.

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The next best performance in Dhurandhan without a doubt is Akshaye Khanna, followed by Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt and Rakesh Bedi. Akshaye as Rehman Dakait/Baloch is deadly as he is humane. Sanjay – who gives off khalnayak vibes while doing right for his country, impresses in every frame he appears. Arjun as ISI Major Iqbal is deadly as will leave you sick with the level of torture he makes his victims go through.

Talking about Maddy, the actor plays IB Chief Ajay Sanyal with precision and gravitas. He commands the scene from the very first frame to the last with his stern performances, powerful and crisp dialogues and an aura expected from an officer of his caliber. Sara Arjun has delivered a good enough performance as

Conclusion

Dhurandhar is worth a watch as if not only has some of Bollywood’s best actors delievering top-notch performances, but it’s a also a patriotic film that honours and celebrates the unknown and unsung heroes who willingly enter the most dangerous of situations in order to make sure the nation is safe.

Book your tickets and head to your nearest theatres to see Ranveer unleash the animal within him to keep him safe. You will not be disappointed.

Watch the trailer of Dhurandhar here:

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Also Read: Dhurandhar 2 Release Date CONFIRMED! Ranveer Singh Led Sequel To Hit Cinemas On THIS Day

Grinell Jacinto

With nearly 10 years of experience, Grinell Esther Jacinto is the Desk Head of Bollywood Bubble. Her interests lie in everything that is kaleshi and she loves to dig deeper into the lives of B-town actors. She has a problem though – she loves horror films but will have chills the minute the theatres lights dims. She’s previously worked with Koimoi, UrbanAsian and SpotboyE.