Aditya Dhar returns to the world of covert operations and patriotic action with Dhurandhar, an ambitious spy thriller mounted on a massive scale and backed by Jio Studios and B62 Studios.
The film stars Ranveer Singh alongside a heavyweight ensemble that includes Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan and Arjun Rampal, with Sara Arjun and Rakesh Bedi in key roles. Set around real geopolitical flashpoints and covert missions inspired by Operation Lyari, the film aims to merge real history, underworld lore and high voltage nationalism into one big cinematic package.
Clocking in at around 214 minutes, Dhurandhar is one of the longest Hindi films in recent times and has been certified A by the CBFC for its violent content. The censor board reportedly asked for cuts in some graphic scenes and muted a few expletives before clearing the film, while also publicly clarifying that the story is not officially based on the life of Major Mohit Sharma after his family raised legal objections.
The film releases amid heavy buzz, controversy, cancelled media shows and big box office expectations, with a planned digital run on Netflix after theatres. Early trade reports suggest curiosity around the cast and scale, but not an explosive start at the box office.
On paper, Dhurandhar has everything you expect from a big screen espionage event film. In execution, it lands somewhere in the middle. The ambition is impressive, the performances often solid, but the storytelling is overstuffed and the length becomes its biggest enemy. For this review, the film stands at 2.5 out of 5.
Dhurandhar: Plot
Dhurandhar is set in the shadow of two key events that changed India’s security landscape: the hijacking of flight IC 814 in 1999 and the Parliament attack in 2001. In this tense atmosphere, India’s Intelligence Bureau Chief Ajay Sanyal (R. Madhavan) designs a daring off-the-books mission that aims to attack the roots of terror rather than just react to isolated incidents.
His idea is simple in theory and impossibly risky in practice. Instead of sending a regular trained asset into enemy territory, he chooses an unexpected pawn. A 20 year old boy from Punjab, imprisoned for a revenge killing and written off by the system, becomes the unlikely weapon Sanyal wants to sharpen and deploy. The boy’s anger, lack of attachments and ability to disappear into the chaos of the underworld make him the perfect ghost to send across the border, if he can be controlled. 
The mission takes the narrative into Karachi’s notorious Lyari area, a neighbourhood infamous for its network of crime syndicates, political connections and gang wars. The film fictionalises and heightens this backdrop by building a world of rival dons, corrupt power brokers and terrorist handlers, loosely echoing elements of the real Operation Lyari. 
Ranveer’s character is plunged into this ecosystem and given a brutal new identity. His job is to rise inside the Lyari gangs, gain access to those who finance and shelter terror outfits and slowly dismantle the network from within. Standing in his way are several powerful figures. Akshaye Khanna’s antagonist is positioned as the apex predator of this underworld jungle, a calm but cold blooded kingpin whose presence dominates every room he walks into. Sanjay Dutt plays a senior Pakistani law enforcement figure with his own complicated history with crime and militancy, inspired by real life cop Chaudhry Aslam Khan. Arjun Rampal appears as a high ranking militant commander whose operations stretch far beyond one neighbourhood. 
As the mission deepens, layers of double games and divided loyalties are introduced. Ajay Sanyal runs the operation from across the border, balancing bureaucratic pressure, political scrutiny and the moral cost of using a troubled young man as a disposable weapon. Family members, local contacts and romantic subplots occasionally appear, especially through Sara Arjun’s character, but they rarely drive the narrative as strongly as the men in uniform and the men with guns. 
The third act expands the scale further with large set pieces, cross border chases, betrayals and a climax that clearly hints at a follow up film. There is a constant attempt to tie the personal journey of Ranveer’s character to the larger idea of national sacrifice, but the sheer volume of twists, time jumps and subplots makes the story feel dense rather than consistently gripping.
Dhurandhar: Performances
If Dhurandhar remains watchable through its exhausting runtime, a big part of the credit goes to the cast. Aditya Dhar uses the star power of his leads to keep pulling the audience back into a story that frequently loses narrative discipline.
Ranveer Singh is in intense, tightly coiled mode here. His character is not written as a flamboyant hero but as a volatile, damaged man who has been weaponised by the system. Ranveer leans into the physicality, the simmering rage and the moral confusion of someone who must act like a monster to catch monsters. His performance brings a lived in quality to the action beats and the infiltration scenes, even when the script around him gets repetitive. 
R. Madhavan as Ajay Sanyal is a crucial presence. Modelled on the current National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, his character sits in rooms far away from the front line and pulls strings with frightening precision. Madhavan plays him with a quiet authority, mixing idealism, ruthlessness and a strategist’s cold detachment. Some of the most interesting moments in the film are built around his moral choices and the way he views people as pieces on a chessboard. 
Sanjay Dutt brings weight and unpredictability to his role inspired by Karachi cop Chaudhry Aslam Khan. The character has shades of both brutality and strange honour, and Dutt’s weathered presence fits that ambiguity well. However, the film does not always give him enough screen time to explore the complexity that the real life reference suggests. 
Akshaye Khanna is pitched as the apex villain. His screen persona is used smartly in isolated scenes, where his stillness and icy line deliveries create real menace. Yet the writing of the antagonist rarely matches the buildup. He ends up memorable in moments rather than as a fully realised nemesis. 
Arjun Rampal, Rakesh Bedi and the supporting ensemble are used to populate the underworld and political ecosystem. Rampal has presence but is constrained by the familiar mould of a militant leader, while Bedi, playing a Pakistani politician, adds some texture to the corridors of power. Sara Arjun and other female actors get far less to work with, often existing as emotional triggers or symbols instead of full characters. 
Overall, the performances are strong enough to suggest a richer film than the one we finally get. The cast does the heavy lifting whenever the script loses focus.
Dhurandhar: Analysis
There is no doubt that Dhurandhar is an ambitious project. It tries to combine the urgency of real events like IC 814 and the Parliament attack with the murky world of Lyari gangs and the high stakes of a cross border covert mission. It also wants to be a star vehicle, a patriotic drama, a gritty underworld film and a set up for a franchise, all at once.
The film works best in isolated stretches. The infiltration portions in Karachi, the tense exchanges between Ranveer and Akshaye Khanna, and the strategic discussions steered by Madhavan carry genuine tension. Some of the action set pieces are well staged and make smart use of crowded streets, cramped interiors and real locations. The production design, costume work and character looks, crafted with the help of a top character designer, help distinguish the many factions and give the film a tactile, lived in feel. 
Shashwat Sachdev’s score adds muscle to the larger sequences and occasionally finds a haunting quality in quieter moments. The use of recreated tracks and a high energy title song is clearly designed to boost the film’s mass appeal and promotional reach. However, the background music at times becomes overpowering, underlining emotions that could have been played more softly. 
The biggest problem is the storytelling rhythm. At 214 minutes, Dhurandhar not only has a long runtime on paper, it feels long on screen. The film repeatedly pauses for expository dialogue that spells out geopolitics, internal rivalries and backstories. Instead of trusting visuals and subtext, characters often explain motivations in heavy handed conversation. The pacing sags particularly in the mid portion, where the narrative seems torn between focusing on the protagonist’s inner transformation and juggling multiple side plots.
Tonally, the film keeps shifting. Harsh realism sits next to crowd pleasing heroism, and real world references to sensitive figures like Ajit Doval, Chaudhry Aslam Khan and Major Mohit Sharma float in the background without being fully embraced or fully fictionalised. The makers have publicly clarified that the story is not a direct biopic of any one individual, yet the visual and narrative echoes are so strong that the film cannot escape constant comparison with recent history. The legal disputes and objections from families, which surfaced before release, highlight the tightrope it is walking. 
Another limitation is the way Pakistan and its people are framed. While certain characters are given shades of grey, the larger canvas often slips into familiar tropes where the enemy land is defined by violence, betrayal and fanaticism. Given how detailed the film wants to be about ground realities, a more layered portrayal of ordinary lives caught in the crossfire could have made the story richer and more contemporary.
Thematically, Dhurandhar raises interesting questions about how far a state can go in the name of security, and what it means to sacrifice a damaged young man for the nation’s cause. Unfortunately, these questions are rarely explored with nuance. The film tends to glorify the mission and its architects while only briefly touching the psychological and ethical cost on the person used as a weapon.
As a theatrical experience, the film is uneven. It has the scale, action and star presence that benefit from a big screen, but the stretched length, heavy exposition and inconsistent emotional beats make it tiring. For many viewers, this is likely to feel like a film that might play better in parts on OTT, where the ability to pause, skip and revisit specific sequences could make the experience more digestible.
Dhurandhar: Verdict
Dhurandhar is a film overflowing with ambition, resources and talent. Aditya Dhar clearly wants to build a large espionage universe that connects real incidents, underworld politics and covert missions into a franchise worthy of sequels. The cast is stacked, the production is polished and the subject feels urgent.
However, the final film struggles under the weight of its own intentions. At 2.5 out of 5, this is a mixed bag. There are strong performances, some gripping set pieces and an intriguing core idea, but they are buried inside an overlong, overstuffed narrative that often confuses scale with impact.
For die hard fans of Ranveer Singh or for viewers who enjoy dense geopolitical thrillers and do not mind a three and a half hour runtime, Dhurandhar might still offer enough moments to justify a theatrical visit. Everyone else may find themselves waiting for the inevitable OTT release or a tighter second part that hopefully learns from the pacing and tonal issues here.
Dhurandhar: Rating
Critics Rating: 2/5
Box Office Rating: 2.5/5
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