The countdown is over. The wait is over. And the mood is celebratory. DHURANDHAR – THE REVENGE opened to a huge response, taking full advantage of the festive atmosphere and the rare Salman-less Eid slot. The date was announced in Dhurandhar, and that helped avoid any clash- though don’t think that would have mattered, and other film makers realised the tsunami Dhirandhare-2- the Revenge would be. The movie will bring back footfalls and eyeballs to Bollywood.
After the success of Dhurandhar Part 1, the sequel arrives at the right time. The gap between the two films was short enough to keep the audience interested, and the story was still fresh in memory. Because of that, the sequel does miss a bit of the newness at times, and there are moments where you can even predict what is going to follow next. But that does not really go against the film. When the narrative keeps you engaged, predictability becomes less of a problem. Even with that, this is the kind of film that will be referred to as an epic in trade circles for its scale, length, and ambition.
No, I am not celebrating what is being termed as a great success and overcoming of the biggest challenge. Keeping the audience glued to the screen for 3 hours and 55 minutes. In today’s era, this is extremely tough to pull off and an achievement. Keeping audiences engaged for that long is not easy, and I didn’t see anyone checking their phones or looking around. Maybe in such cases and houseful shows with engaging movies and longer runtime- the interval could be longer- but maybe that could break the mini climax.
The eyes glued are not the only thing we should talk about. The action sequences are powerful, the storytelling is pacy, and the story keeps moving forward despite (or because of) some overlaying of well-known geopolitical and terror references well known to the audience. The multiple layers and the episodic treatment to help bridge the gaps, in fact, help the film stay on high adrenaline till the end.
Ranveer Singh has already made his mark in Bollywood with iconic roles, and this one goes a step further. His energy and presence carry the film strongly. He is a versatile actor who has made himself the new King, though he still seems not to be getting enough credit for his performance- even in Dhurandhar-2. I missed Akshaye Khanna (Rehman Dakait). His presence in the earlier part added a different weight, and I would have liked to see him somewhere in this film as well.
Director Aditya Dhar deserves a huge round of applause and appreciation. Maybe this is his revenge on earlier disappointments. Handling such a long film with multiple subplots, heavy action, and emotional arcs, while still keeping the audience involved, is not easy. The film remains controlled, structured, and engaging throughout. The music fits the film well. The songs may not be the strongest part, but that hardly affects the overall impact. The use of old songs in a certain sequence is very nice.
The writer-director has been able to weave and connect the dots (for the storytelling) of so many real events worth mentioning and appreciating.
On the performance front, the supporting cast adds significant strength.
Sanjay Dutt (SP Choudhary) seems to be playing this role too often, yet he still stands out with his performance. Arjun Rampal (Major Iqbal) remains a good actor. Most of the time, glasses help hide his monotonous expression. Rakesh Bedi (Jameel Jamali), for a change, has got a role which does some justice to his calibre. He is superb, and the final revelation is enough to make the hall erupt. Sara Arjun (Yalina Jamali) has a few moments to act- and she does decently enough. Everyone plays their part well. It’s like a T20 where every batsman scores mid-thirties, and the score crosses 300. That’s what teamwork is all about.
Madhavan (Sanyal) is of short stature, but his last phone call scene is worth it.
One thing I personally liked is that Dhrandhar-2 stays close to what many audiences perceived as ground realities and conjectures. It does not try too hard to soften things or make them artificially balanced. It presents situations with strong, direct force, giving the film a certain rawness that works in its favour.
In the end, this is not a perfect film, but it is a big, ambitious, engaging film — and in today’s time, that itself is not easy.
GO WATCH IT. DON’T MISS IT. A Massive, Relentless, Larger-Than-Life Spectacle
And while you give Dhurandhar some love, do try watching ASSI as well — it deserves attention too.
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ADDED NOTE.
Success like this will automatically invite doubters and naysayers. This is a cinematic explosion and not your documentary. So don’t expect it to two the line. And if that seems to have a skew, a tilt, and a share favouring someone, it’s artistic license. All movies have and must have a bias in storytelling. This is not news journalism, and that, in itself, is not tainted. So, what if they do subscribe to the government line but present the new view of security, nationalism, and enemies? So what if it gladly lionises aggressive counter-terror operations, surgical strikes, and dismantling of terror networks. No one is expected to make films for your point of view; it’s a director’s storytelling medium, and let it be so. Yes, it plays on the sentiments and hits the audience’s nerve hot and hard- and that is what commercial cinema is expected to do.
