Dhurandhar Review — IGN
A heady mix of exhilaration and repulsion, Aditya Dhar’s star-powered gangster epic Dhurandhar (meaning “Stalwart”) stands out in Bollywood’s current wave of jingoistic action films that flirt with Islamophobic propaganda. Yet it differentiates itself by not merely meeting expectations but occasionally delivering something brilliant — a quality that can feel dangerous as it drags viewers through a three-and-a-half hour spy odyssey replete with brutal violence, torture, and even graphic limb injuries that would rival a Saw installment. It’s ugly and gripping in equal measure.
The film bills itself as “inspired by incredible true events” — a claim that strains credulity. Dhurandhar follows an Indian military operative who goes undercover in Pakistan in the mid-2000s, adopting the alias Hamza Ali Mazari (portrayed with stoic intensity by Ranveer Singh). He climbs from a street-side juice stall to the corridors of Karachi’s factional politics, embedding himself within a local mafia network tied to national parties and international terrorism, turning this espionage tale into a brutal, bone-crushing saga that tests loyalties and morality. Yet this ambitious character study leaves little room for authentic spycraft. Boo! Hiss!
As years pass, Hamza becomes increasingly attached to his targets. It becomes evident — at least to the audience, if not to the conflicted anti-hero himself — that his associates are paving the way for a real-world terror plot in Mumbai in 2008. Until now, there hasn’t been a feature with comparable competence on this topic, whether Bollywood’s exaggerated The Attacks of 26/11 (2013), the French-Belgian misfire Taj Mahal (2015), or Hollywood’s sensational Hotel Mumbai (2019). Dhurandhar might, in theory, shift that narrative, though it embellishes with some lofty fabrications along the way.
Its tenuous link to reality also makes Dhurandhar a thorny proposition. Several characters are drawn as real people — Akshaye Khanna’s intense Rehman Dakait, a Karachi gangster and family man who mentors Hamza; Sanjay Dutt’s Chaudhary Aslam, a respected Pakistani police officer who battles gangs and terror cells (depicted here as corrupt opportunists). Others resemble real figures, such as Arjun Rampal’s magnetic Major Iqbal (based on the terrorist Ilyas Kashmiri) and R. Madhavan’s stern spymaster Ajay Sanyal, who directs Hamza’s arc and nods to India’s National Security Advisor Ajit Doval. Yet Hamza himself has no clearly identified real-world counterpart; some rumors exist but have been denied.
Dhurandhar unfolds as a sprawling three-and-a-half hour thriller with relentless violence that surpasses many contemporaries and keeps audiences on edge through its escalating action and moral ambiguity. This approach, including the use of archival footage and phone recordings from real terror attacks, can feel ethically murky at times. Some scenes resemble an unsettling echo of The Voice of Hind Rajab, a Venice-set drama that dramatizes real calls surrounding a significant conflict, as the film pulls genuine moments into its fictional narrative to stoke emotional reactions tied to India’s tense relationship with Pakistan and its treatment of Indian Muslims. Early conversations frame Sanyal’s negotiations with hijackers as a defense of Hindu-centric national unity against perceived Islamic threats. Later, Hamza’s encounters with terrorists mid-prayer and his recollections of their chants of “Allahu Akbar” fuel his hatred, pushing him toward a fierce, almost Islamophobic resolve. This is not a December release for the faint of heart, carrying a nihilism that can feel almost nihilistic in its hostility. Even the film’s glimmers of optimism stay tinged with cynicism — Sanyal’s expectation of a crackdown on corruption reads like a campaign banner for Narendra Modi and the BJP, who would ascend to power shortly after the events depicted.
Yet Dhar’s craftsmanship remains undeniable even as it leans into Hindutva politics. Hamza, a revenge-obsessed antihero, emerges as a compelling centerpiece in a fast-paced thriller that darts between major political figures as he ascends within the ranks. Traversing Lyari, Karachi’s volatile district, Singh exhibits measured restraint despite an almost explosive presence, navigating scenes with physical momentum and a quiet intensity. He observes, schemes, and smolders in plain sight, forming uneasy bonds with his targets and even entering into a predatory romance with Yalina (Sara Arjun), the younger daughter of a rival politician.
What sets Dhurandhar apart from other war-thriller exemplars, such as Dhar’s Uri: The Surgical Strike (2019), is Hamza’s lack of heroic certainty. He is framed as a calculating morally gray figure, aided by a cast of humanized henchmen who are surprisingly engaging. This complexity makes Hamza’s eventual betrayal feel like a mix of righteous vengeance and outright treachery. Khanna delivers a standout performance as a father first and a militant insurgent second, a career-best turn that anchors the film. The storytelling is so finely tuned that even the mid-film cliffhanger, in the shadow of the sequel’s looming release, leaves the viewer more energized than fatigued, with adrenaline sustaining the momentum through the post-credits tease.
The score is energized by modern Indian and Arabic hip-hop remixes alongside upbeat reworkings of Bollywood classics, enabling Dhar to channel his characteristic blunt force while loading that aggression with a disarming exuberance born of morally troubling impulses. If the viewer can tolerate the cognitive dissonance, the payoff can be worthwhile. The on-screen violence is visceral: stabbings, gunfire, torture, beheadings, and brutal beatings — all captured with a kinetic tempo by cinematographer Vikash Nowlakha and editors Shivkumar V. Panicker, who deftly cut between high melodrama and stark, grounded brutality. The film’s cool blue palette casts a perpetual twilight over Hamza’s world, suggesting a descent from personal ethics toward a broader, nationalistic code that justifies almost any act if it yields dazzling, stylized action. It’s disturbingly persuasive in its own way.
Verdict
Dhurandhar walks a razor’s edge between raucous entertainment and propaganda that’s hard to overlook. With more blood and intensity than a typical thriller, it stands as one of the year’s most provocative and gripping films, presenting a fictional undercover operative who sways real historical events, akin to a cinematic Forest Gump wielding a Kalashnikov.
