Dhurandhar: The Revenge

We live in strange times. A story set in a Karachi neighbourhood called Lyari is Indian cinema’s biggest hit on this date. It’s neither historical nor bona fide historical fiction. Dhurandhar has rewired how mainstream audiences engage with espionage cinema and South Asian geopolitics. Naturally, Dhurandhar 2 (or Dhurandhar: The Revenge), arriving barely a quarter later, comes with immense pressure to like it. Not the lightweight peer pressure, but something far more societal. Should I dare to contradict this, my nationalistic brethren could scrutinise my integrity. This would also weaken my credibility as a critic.

‘धुरंधर’ दरअसल सवा सात घंटे की फिल्म है जिसका साढ़े तीन घंटे का हिस्सा 5 दिसंबर, 2025 को आया था और अब पौने चार घंटे का यह पार्ट रिलीज़ हुआ है जिसका नाम ‘धुरंधर-द रिवेंज’ (Dhurandhar The Revenge) है। ‘रिवेंज’ यानी बदला। कह सकते हैं कि ‘धुरंधर’ इंटरवल से पहले की फिल्म थी जिसमें भारत का एक एजेंट पाकिस्तान के सिस्टम में घुस रहा था और भारत को दिए जा रहे ज़ख्मों का हिसाब इक्ट्ठा कर रहा था। अब इंटरवल के बाद की इस फिल्म ‘धुरंधर-द रिवेंज’ में वह एजेंट हिसाब चुकता कर रहा है, ज़ख्म दे रहा है। आगे बढ़ने से पहले यह भी साफ हो जाए कि यदि आपने पिछली वाली ‘घुरंघर’ नहीं देखी है तो न तो आपको यह वाली ‘धुरंधर-द रिवेंज’ (Dhurandhar The Revenge) देखनी चाहिए और न ही यह रिव्यू आगे पढ़ना चाहिए। कुछ समझ ही नहीं आएगा तो क्या ही फायदा।

The year’s most anticipated sequel, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, with a massive runtime of 3 hours and 49 minutes (15 minutes longer than the prequel), kicks off in sync with its predecessor. The film opens with a jaw-dropping action sequence that spirals into a brutal bloodbath. Struck by a personal tragedy, Jaskirat (Ranveer Singh), an Indian army trainee, is forced to embrace his new identity. The first half is riveting and fast-paced. It wastes no time, seamlessly shifting from past to present as Hamza rises to rule Lyari and takes the fight straight to the terrorists’ stronghold.

Dhurandhar The Revenge continues the story of an Indian spy Jaskirat Singh Rangi aka Hamza Ali Mazari (Ranveer Singh), who has infiltrated Pakistan’s underworld and politics. After Rehman Dakait (Akshaye Khanna) gets killed at the end of the first film, his enemy Arshad Pappu (Ashwin Dhar) starts ruling over the underworld of Lyari in Karachi. This infuriates Rehman’s cousin and second in command Uzair Baloch (Danish Pandor). Hence, he, Hamza and others wage a war against Arshad and his gang. Finally, Uzair kills Arshad in the most brutal manner and reclaims his gang’s reign over Lyari. However, circumstances ensure that he goes away from the scene and Hamza becomes the king of Lyari and Sher-e-Baloch. Meanwhile, he gets to know that ISI (Inter-Services Intelligence) head Major Iqbal (Arjun Rampal) and his associates are planning another terrorist attack in India.

The cinematic grammar is the same. After a long disclaimer, Aditya Dhar returns to his chapter-wise narrative style that flags off with A Burnt Memory – the turning of family-loving fauji Jaskirat Singh Rangi (Ranveer Singh) into hardened undercover agent Hamza Ali Mazari. There’s a brief introduction to UP gangster Atif Ahmed, there are criminals operating on both sides of the border, drugs are a big deal with the underworld, patriotism is never on the table. With Shashwat Sachdev’s now-familiar Aari Aari as the BG score, an unhurried Dhar returns to a post-Dakait Lyari that’s struggling for a new leader. Unhurried to such an extent that by the time he reaches halftime, you are restless.