'Dhurandhar The Revenge' Review: Epic Spy Saga

Film: Dhurandhar The Revenge
Rating: 3.5/5
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun, Rakesh Bedi, Danish Pandor and others
Cinematography: Vikash Nowlakha
Editing: Shivkumar V. Panicker
Music: Shashwat Sachdev
Producers: Aditya Dhar, Lokesh Dhar, Jyoti Deshpande
Director: Aditya Dhar
Release Date: 18 March 2025

The first part of “Dhurandhar” shook the nation with its captivating narrative and the never-seen-before spy ambience of India operating inside Pakistan. The second part has been released amidst huge expectations, and anything less will certainly not stand out to the sensibilities of the audience.

Let us see what this film has to offer.

Story:
Jaskirat Singh Rangi (Ranveer Singh) is a Punjabi villager who is a good student and is also preparing to join the Indian Army. His sister gets abducted by an affluent gang, and he attacks them and kills all the male members in that house to rescue his sister.

He eventually gets arrested on multiple homicide charges and is kept in jail. While being transported between the jail and the court, his police van gets attacked and he is abducted.

Who abducts him? What happens to him? Why does he become the chosen man for Mission Dhurandhar? All these questions are obvious to answer, as the end of Dhurandhar – Part 1 already hinted at these developments.

The story starts from there and eventually returns to the time following the killing of Rehman Dacait. Umar Baloch (Danish Pandor), the brother of Rehman Dacait, becomes the heir apparent of the Lyari power center, challenging Arshad Pappu (Ashwin Dhar), the Pathan leader. From here, the film does not unfold as a conventional narrative; it is more of an experience than a straightforward story.

It mainly focuses on how the terror nexus and funding networks for terrorism in Pakistan are dismantled through the protagonist’s espionage activities. At the same time, the film explores how his personal life and emotions navigate these rough waters, eventually leading to the climactic events that form the rest of the narrative.

Artistes’ Performances
Ranveer Singh was almost like a supporting actor in Part 1 while Akshaye Khanna dominated the screen. But here, it is entirely Ranveer Singh’s show. He excels in action episodes, vulnerable emotional sequences, and also as a fearless and brutal, mission-oriented soldier.

Sara Arjun has a limited role in this part, but she still has enough screen presence and emotional moments to showcase her talent. She leaves an impact.

The real hero of the film happens to be R. Madhavan, who plays Ajay Sanyal (Ajit Doval). He has been the shadow force behind the film’s narrative, and the entire story feels like a tribute to the moves that helped safeguard the nation.

Sanjay Dutt, as SP Aslam Chaudhary, continues his role from the previous part, and his dialogues carry even more profanity than in the first installment.

Arjun Rampal, as Major Iqbal, gets ample screen space with an intense villain character arc. His introduction and conclusion are both rough and brutal.

Rakesh Bedi, as the politician, continues his role as usual and delivers a major twist toward the end.

Gaurav Gera, the juice shop owner, also has a decent role to play in this episode.

Manav Gohil, famous for his Sri Krishna Devaraya role in the TV series Tenali Rama, plays a key role as the Deputy Director of the IB and has a strong presence in several important scenes.

Danish Iqbal, appearing as Dawood Ibrahim, comes as a surprise.

Technical Excellence
The background score is thoroughly engaging, and Shashwat Sachdev deserves accolades for his work. The cinematography is top-notch, and the art department deserves applause for its award-worthy output.

However, the editing is not very sharp, and the climax fight sequence between Arjun Rampal and Ranveer Singh feels lengthy and repetitive.

Highlights
Blending fiction within a real-world backdrop
Surprises toward the end
Ranveer Singh’s performance
Intense moments
Art work

Drawbacks
Vulgarity in dialogues
Extreme violence
Commercial twists dominating the otherwise realistic narrative

Analysis:
Dhurandhar-Part 1 itself broke the roof at the box office, engaging a large section of the audience. Akshaye Khanna’s performance stood out, camouflaging the overall depth of the film. So when Part 2 was announced, the first obvious question was... who would replace Rehman Dacait (Akshaye Khanna) for an on screen impact, as the character was killed in the first part? The other question was what more could be shown in the narrative beyond the same repetitive espionage elements, and how engaging it would remain.

Amidst these questions, the duration of the second part, titled “Dhurandhar-The Revenge,” stands at 3 hours and 49 minutes.

Despite initial doubts, the film begins and though the opening feels slow and somewhat cliched, it eventually catches attention from Chapter 2 onwards.

Particularly in the flashback portions, the personal story is not strong enough to fully justify the protagonist becoming a sacrificing spy for the nation. The dialogue “Tum ghayal ho, isiliye ghatak ho” (You are wounded, therefore you are deadly) sounds powerful, but the personal episode shown is not intense enough to justify such a drastic decision.

Ultimately, it is the sheer patriotism and willpower of the protagonist to serve the nation on behalf of the legitimate Indian system that drives him toward this sacrifice. Unless the audience is convinced about this aspect, it becomes difficult to travel with protagonist's emotion.

Leaving behind family and nation and living in enemy territory for the rest of one’s life, blending with the people there while secretly spying for India, is portrayed as a “balidaan” (sacrifice) in the final portion of the film. This is the true uniqueness of the story, something rarely experienced in Indian cinema.

Another facet of the narrative is the protagonist’s willingness to go to extreme lengths of brutality and killings without allowing personal emotions to interfere.

Setting that aside, the rise of Hamza Ali Mazari in Lyari after the death of Rehman Dacait presents an interesting graph. The way he corners everyone around him to consolidate power forms a strong narrative thread.

Atiq Ahmed’s character is introduced with elevation in Chapter 1. Those who followed the news would recall how he was killed point-blank, with the real video widely circulated on television a few years ago. His episode becomes a hooking factor and raises questions about what exactly he did and how justified his killing was.

Dawood Ibrahim’s character is another surprise in the film. There have been rumors about his poor health, and the film seems to incorporate that element, though it feels more cinematic than realistic.

Even the climax fight between Ranveer Singh and Arjun Rampal could have been trimmed to save time.

The phone conversation between the ISI chief and Ajay Sanyal toward the end also feels somewhat cinematic and cliched rather than realistic.

Another cinematic element is Major Iqbal’s father, Brigadier Jahangir, who is handicapped and continuously mocks his son. This father–son dynamic and Major Iqbal’s villainy seem somewhat inspired by the Bhallaladeva–Bijjaladeva relationship in Baahubali.

The film also uses real video clippings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the long episde goes on highlighting how important demonetization in 2016 was for India’s covert security operations and in weakening cross-border terror funding.

On the other hand, there are no surprise entertaining songs or item numbers in this part. Songs like “Faisla,” “Didi Wa…,” and even “Rasputin” appear only as background elements rather than full-fledged dance sequences.

Another loose end is the lack of clarity about what happens to Rehman Dacait’s wife and his second son.

However, the film deserves appreciation for the deep research behind the subject and for skillfully blending fiction with real historical events. The narrative conveys the idea that much of the suffering faced by Pakistani terrorists and their supporters resulted from India’s covert intelligence operations. This mood strongly pervades the theatres while watching the film. 

The audience remains deeply engaged and is reluctant to stand up even after the final episode ends. Even the rolling credits contain captivating content that keeps viewers seated until the very end.

Dhurandhar-The Revenge stands as an epic in India’s spy movie genre with real patriotic fervor and it may require another filmmaker like Aditya Dhar to create something that surpasses it.

Bottom Line: An immersive experience