We have certainly lost patience with watching lengthy films on the big screen, and enter Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar. A film which is almost 4 hours long, and stars a stellar cast of Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Rakesh Bedi, and Sara Arjun. The film revolves around Pakistan’s politics, mafia gangs, their enmity, and ISI workings, and how terrorism affected India in the late 90s and early 2000s. The film is intense and has a lot of information, but does it keep you hooked till the very end? Here’s a quick review for you to decide! Read on.
Plot
So the story of Dhurandhar is told in chapters, each one discussing either a character or some important events. Hamza Ali (Ranveer Singh) comes to Karachi, Pakistan to become a part of the Baloch gang, led by Akshay Khanna’s Rehmat Dakkait. Hamza is an Indian asset chosen by Itelligence Chief Ajay Sanyal to infiltrate the very core of Pakistan’s underworld, and get necessary information. The film’s story moves further to show some dark phases in the Indian history like the Parliament attack and Mumbai terror attack. There are a lot of subplots in the film like Rehmat Dakkait’s rise to power, the political turmoil with Jameel Jamali, a corrupt politician(Rakesh Bedi) at the centre of it, the romantic angle between Hamza and Yalina (Sara Arjun), SP Chaudhary Aslam’s (Sanjay Dutt) undying efforts to kill Rehmat and ISI’s working led by Major Iqbal (Arjun Rampal). Dhurandhar gives a little background to Hamza’s character in the end, and all what and who questions are answered.
What I Liked?
Dhurandhar has a lot going on but despite that it keeps you hooked. The first thing that caught my attention was the performances by the cast of Dhurandhar. My favourite of the lot is Akshaye Khanna. The actor is absolutely perfect with his nuanced performance as the leader of the Baloch gang. Those intricate face movements which made the character of Rehmat so intimidating and that walk, clearly Akshaye Khanna paid attention to the details that were needed for an impact.
Ranveer Singh is a good actor, and to watch him on the screen after so long was quite exciting. The actor doesn’t disappoint at all. His expressions, body language, and dialogue delivery are very convincing. I was scared for Sara Arjun’s Yalina for being his Hamza’s love interest, because the actor definitely looked the part! He shines in the action sequences.
Sanjay Dutt as the SP has a very fun character. The man is ruthless and yet funny. Sanjay Dutt is natural but it’s refreshing to see him as a quirky character. R Madhavan as the Intelligence Chief has delivered a very measured performance. Arjun Rampal is another impressive performer in the film, and kudos to the prosthetics team, the actor looks evil person that he plays in the film. Sara Arjun has also shown the potential of an actor who has a range. Rakesh Bedi is the comic relief in Dhurandhar and he is spot on with that!
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The action sequences in Dhurandhar are intense and keeps us on the edge of our seats. Especially the hand-to-hand combats in the second half. Yes there are gore scenes in the film that may be difficult to watch, so heads up! Aditya Dhar’s direction deserves applaud. All the actors are given equal importance in the film, with enough time spent on building each plot. Dhurandhar’s storytelling is engaging as the story looks detailed and well-researched. The set design also contributes to give us an immersive experience. Well, how can I not talk about the film’s background score which I enjoyed a little too much. The twist given to the old songs went really well with the tone of the film, it amped up the experience of watching the film.
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Some aspects in Dhurandhar that bothered me are flaws that I evidently could not ignore. The love and romantic angle in the film between Hamza and Yalini, despite having a motive could be incorporated in a better way. It did not blend very organically with the story and somewhat felt like a distraction from the serious themes that Dhurandhar deals with.
Which also makes me talk about the caricaturist nature of a few scenes that were rather given less attention to in the grandeur of things: the intel discussing about the information by their informants, or a conversation between Ajay Sanyal and his colleague Sushant Bansal (Manav Gohil) about the fake currencies being produced by the neighbouring country. The intensity of these conversations were not felt.
The massy dialogues to create an impact on the audience rather felt unnecessary. Also, the political undertones were felt through some scenes and dialogues by R Madhavan’s character, which kinda is redundant now.
Verdict
Ranveer Singh starrer Dhurandhar is an entertaining watch but now without flaws. The film is stuffed with a lot of information that can be overwhelming, but despite that Dhurandhar keeps us engaged with the impressive performances, and intriguing plot and a great BGM. Visually too, the film is quite appealing with its gritty textures. However, a the film does have come with evident faults in it’s storytelling, sub-plots, portrayals, and the attempt to make it massy. Also, the item song, really not needed! Aditya Dhar’s film is currently running in theatres.