Headlined by Ranveer Singh, along with Akshaye Khanna, R Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampan, and Sara Arjun among others, Dhurandhar, written and directed by Aditya Dhar, hit the theatres this Friday. The first installment of this two-part film franchise runs high on violence and bloodshed for 214 minutes. Does this much anticipated film deserve your time and attention? Read on to know…
(PS: Minor spoilers ahead.)
Story:
Indian intelligence chief Ajay Sanyal (R Madhavan) decides to tackle repeated Pakistan sponsored terrorist attacks in India by invading its very core through a covert mission called ‘Dhurandhar’. He selects an asset under the identity of Hamza Ali Mazari (Ranveer Singh) to infiltrate the gang of dreaded Baloch leader Rehman Dakait (Akshaye Khanna) in Pakistan’s Lyari town. The film showcases Hamza’s journey to become a member of Rehman’s gang, and to get to know the network behind the terrorist operations led by Major Iqbal (Arjun Rampal) of ISI, and aided by the local politician Jameel Jamaali (Rakesh Bedi). There’s also SP Chaudhary Aslam (Sanjay Dutt) who aims to get rid of the gang wars in Lyari, which is the epicentre of Rehman’s operations as well as a hot bed of politics. Will Hamza be able to succeed in his mission? That’s what the first installment of this two-part film is all about.
Review:
Writer, director, and co-producer Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar is pretty much cut from the same cloth as his debut directorial outing URI: The Surgical Strike (2019), only this time it’s a much bigger and more ambitious project, with a stellar ensemble cast. With a runtime of three hours and 32 minutes at hand, the director does a fine job at world building and setting the premise with utmost conviction. He gives every single character a showstopper entry, barring the protagonist, but that doesn’t stick out like a sore thumb since his character is supposed to stay and operate in the shadows. The film begins like a spy-thriller but soon turns into a gangster-drama where espionage seemingly takes a back seat. However, the script quickly brings the mission at hand back on track after a couple of forgivable detours.
Violence, gore, and bloodbath combine to give birth to a new love-language for Dhar in his screenplay which is peppered with some extremely well executed action choreography, patriotism that frequently touches the borderlines of jingoism, and a standout soundtrack, in addition to exceptional performances and production design. Make no mistakes, the movie is not for the faint-hearted and definitely not suitable for kids. One needs to have a heart of stone to portray the kind of gruesome and gory sequences that unfold throughout the length of the film that’ll make your stomach churn and blood curdle at the same time. However, full credit goes to Dhar for making the screenplay tight enough to keep the audiences engaged for the entire runtime of the film. There’s rarely a dull moment, what with so much unfolding on the screen that one barely gets time to breath, especially in the first hour.
The way Dhar sets up the narrative is commendable. He goes all guns blazing, connecting the dots to every major terrorist activity on the Indian soil, right from the IC-814 Kandahar hijack (1999), to the Parliament attack in Delhi (2001), and the 26/11 attack in Mumbai (2008), with utmost conviction. There was a lot of scope for it all to falter miserably in the screenplay but he manages to make it work, and how! Right from the chapter-wise treatment of his story that almost unfolds like a thriller novel, to the seamless integration of music, dialogues, and action that appears raw and real in equal measures, Dhar’s commitment and conviction deserves applauds.
However, at several places, the dialogues repeatedly cross the line of patriotism and enter the jingoistic territory in what appears to be a clear attempt to criticise the previous government and its top officials. In fact, the script even goes a step further, attempting to create a background and hint at the demonetisation of 500 and 1000 rupee notes in India (that is likely to unfold in the concluding installment). We feel the makers could’ve done away with the borderline propaganda narrative and still make a thrilling action-entertainer.
Mukesh Chhabra deserves all the praises for getting the casting for each of the characters right. Ranveer Singh gets his beast mode on right from word go. He’s incredible in the action scenes and doesn’t leave a single stone unturned in the combat as well as the chase sequences. However, it’s the moments where he’s restrained, with minimal or no dialogue, letting his eyes do all the talking lest his expressions betray him in rooms where he’s surrounded by the enemies of his country, where he shines the most. His silences speak much louder than his words. He’s so impressive in his restraint that it almost becomes cathartic the moment it breaks to spell absolute carnage on screen in the second half. Singh’s performance in the film is a subtle reminder of what this extremely talented actor is capable of.
Arjun Rampal does a fine job at playing ISI’s Major Iqbal. His mere presence and dialogue delivery is enough to make you hate him to the core. R Madhavan, though gets comparatively less screen time, but makes the most of it in his unrecognisable avatar, bearing a striking resemblance to Ajit Doval, India’s National security advisor. Rakesh Bedi as the power hungry politician Jameel Jamaali is a treat to watch and Sara Arjun making her Bollywood debut, is quite impressive as Yalina, the young and naive daughter of Jameel. She holds her own in a couple of intense scenes with Singh and shows a lot of potential. The age gap between her and Singh is strikingly evident and has been addressed without mincing any words, within the overall narrative of the film.
Sanjay Dutt fits the bill as SP Chaudhary Aslam and does the needful with his signature swag and style. However, it is Akshaye Khanna who destroys everyone else with his towering presence and superlative performance as Rehman Baloch Dakait. He commands your attention in every frame that he’s a part of. His silences pierce right through you, and his menacing gaze in tight close-ups is enough to send shivers down your spine. Khanna, in arguably the meatiest part of his career, delivers a class act with panache. It also helps that he gets a fully etched character arc, in comparison to others. If Singh’s flying, long, and luscious mane deserves a separate ad commercial, Khanna’s twitched, slightly crooked smile deserves a lot more. Rakesh Bedi is delightful as the politician Jameel Jamaali, while Gaurav Gera deserves a special mention for his grounded and authentic portrayal of a juice shop owner.
Mad props to Shashwat Sachdev for delivering a standout music album and soundtrack in the film. The way he has utilised classic ghazals and songs from the 1980s like Ghulam Ali’s Chupe Chupke Raat Din, Hasan Jahangir’s Hawa Hawa alongside immensely popular numbers like Rambha Ho by Usha Uthup among others, is pure gold! Barring an item song, which seemed unnecessary both from the perspective of the plot as well as the OST, every single number in the music album is nothing short of a banger. The title track, and Ishq Jalakar – Karvaan deserve special mentions. The production design by Saini S. Johray is quite immersive as it sucks you right into the milieu, and the cinematography by Vikash Nowlakha is apt.
The editing department led by Shivkumar V. Panicker could have done slightly better in reducing the runtime a bit. The item number Shararat doesn’t really serve any purpose and could’ve been done without. Similarly, the song Gehra Hua, though soothing and mellifluous, could have been omitted. Several shots where the camera tends to overstay and linger on decapitated body parts in some gory, bloodbath-filled scenes, could’ve been shortened a bit as well.
Verdict:
Despite the length of the film, Aditya Dhar has managed to conjure up an immersive and engaging narrative in the first installment of Dhurandhar. The film sets up the premise and the characters, and also manages to impress with its world building. Add to that some stellar performances, raw action, and an outstanding soundtrack, Dhurandhar makes for an engaging watch on screen. However, the film’s treatment is replete with a lot of violence, profanity, and bloodshed which makes it unsuitable for the faint-hearted and kids. That being said, we would definitely be seated for the second installment which will release on March 19, 20226.
