Dhurandhar Review by Eric Chhapgar

 

I watched Dhurandhar yesterday—an impromptu decision inspired by glowing word-of-

mouth reviews. And what a decision it turned out to be. Despite its hefty runtime of 3.5

hours, the film kept me engaged, thanks to the taut, fast-paced narrative crafted by the

immensely capable Aditya Dhar. He now firmly joins Neeraj Pandey and Nikhil Advani on my

list of favorite directors.

Dhar extracts uniformly strong performances from his ensemble cast. While the film boasts

a galaxy of Bollywood stars—Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, R.

Madhavan, and Rakesh Bedi—what shines on screen are not their star personas but the

characters they inhabit. This is no small feat, as Bollywood often struggles to transcend star

power. Here, however, the performances rise above celebrity, immersing the audience in

the story.

Rakesh Bedi, long associated with comic roles, delivers a surprisingly effective turn as a

corrupt politician. Sanjay Dutt commands attention with his unmistakable aura, while Arjun

Rampal convincingly embodies a sinister ISI major. R Madhavan delivers a powerful

performance as the Intelligence bureau chief. Ranveer Singh shoulders the film with

charisma and energy, proving himself a worthy lead. Yet, the movie ultimately belongs to

Akshaye Khanna.

Khanna’s portrayal of Rehman Dakait—a ruthless gangster-politician—stands tall, both

literally and figuratively. Though physically overshadowed by his co-stars, his performance

towers above them all. He slips so seamlessly into the role that one almost forgets he is the

villain, drawn instead to the magnetic complexity of his character. It’s a career-defining

performance, echoing the irony of his father, the legendary Vinod Khanna, who began his

career as a villain before becoming a leading star. Akshaye, who started as a leading man,

has now delivered two of his finest performances this year in Chhava and Dhurandhar

playing a negative character. Truly, Akshaye Khanna—take a bow.

I won’t reveal the plot. This gritty spy thriller, set in Pakistan, deserves to be experienced

firsthand. Suffice it to say, Dhurandhar is one of the most compelling and watchable films in

recent times.