Just came back from the movie. Firstly, the film is long, but that’s not the real issue. I have no problem watching a 3.5-hour movie. The problem is that there isn’t enough meat in the script to justify a 3.5-hour runtime. The entire plot of an undercover spy infiltrating an underworld gang’s inner circle and eventually killing the kingpin takes 3.5 hours without really moving to the next stage. This feels more like an extended interval block and should ideally have been a 2-hour film at max. Anyway, it is what it is.
Now, onto the positives. The entire setup, plot, and world-building are done extremely well. Yes, there are a couple of misses and some odd choices (like half-sleeve kurtas, no one really wears those in Pak or anywhere, especially not like this, but that’s Ranveer trying to show off his dole-shole). The best performer in the film is actually Ranveer Singh. However, I still don’t think this is his best performance. He misses a few beats at places and over-emotes in some scenes where restraint would have worked better. Still, overall, it’s a very good performance. The limited scope of his character in Part 1 also gives the impression that he doesn’t have much to do, but as an undercover spy, he’s meant to stay in the background for most of the film.
Akshaye Khanna has an author-backed role as the kingpin, Rahman Dakait. He was excellent with his silences, though I feel he went a little overboard with facial expressions in some dramatic scenes. A straighter face would have had more impact. He’s getting a lot of praise mainly because the role itself is strong and has a brilliant arc, and add to that, he’s always been underrated. His time to shine has finally come, and deservedly so.
Sanjay Dutt looks like he’s having fun, though his role is short. The actor who played Uzair was very good. Rakesh Bedi was pretty solid as well. Arjun Rampal was good too, but again, a very short role. Others like Gaurav Khera were decent. However, the leading lady, Sara Arjun, wasn’t impressive. They should have opted for someone else.
Aditya Dhar is excellent at setting up worlds, but he lacks finesse in screenplay and editing, something directors like Sandeep Reddy Vanga excel at. Dhar shoots in a very straightforward manner with minimal cinematic flair. It often feels more like a web-series presentation. His strength lies in detailing and scripting, which ends up saving the film more than the screenplay itself. The narrative follows a completely linear approach, and even then, everything is so predictable that you can see what’s coming 15 minutes in advance. Nothing really surprises you at any point. A bit of mix-and-match, sharper editing, or added tension could have made this same script far more engaging. Vanga, for example, made a very simple film, but his editing and cuts are so sharp that you can’t blink during the first half of Animal. Here, you could take a nap or two and still not miss much.
The action is also good, but nothing spectacular. Ideally, the action should have been top-notch, but it remains fairly routine and never really stands out. The chase sequences, in particular, weren’t very engaging, and there are some patches of weak VFX, which is disappointing for a 2025 A-level film.
As far as propaganda goes, the movie is mostly free of it, but it does use it very sparingly at certain points to drive a particular narrative. When the movie starts with the Kandahar hijack, there’s a Pakistani character who says, “Hindu bahut darpok qaum hai,” and that immediately sets the stage for an H vs M saga. The dialogue should logically have been “Hindustani bahut darpok qaum hai,” but it is framed differently here and for the current audience. I believe Shan Parasher also called this dialogue out as unnatural and clearly inserted to push a specific narrative. Similarly, Madhavan’s dialogue stating that “Hindustan ka dushman Pakistan doosre number pe aata hai, sabse bada dushman Hindustan (mein) hi hai” is very cleverly placed and comes across as an attempt to alienate some section within the country.
Overall, the movie is good and will definitely do well at the box office. However, the extraordinary box-office performance is not solely because of the film’s quality, but largely due to its theme and prevailing public sentiment. Anything positioned against Pakistan is bound to strike a chord with the audience and get lapped up quickly. There’s no issue with that. Something similar happened with Chaava as well at state level.
All said, judged purely as a film, Dhurandhar is a good movie and a recommended watch, and it brings Ranveer Singh back into the reckoning.
