After a long time, I finally went to watch a Hindi film — Dhurandhar — with my friend. The very first thing that struck my mind after hearing the name Dhurandhar was the unforgettable character “Dhurandhar Bhatawadekar,” played by the legendary Utpal Dutt in Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s Rang Birangi released in 1983. Unlike this Dhurandhar, that Dhurandhar was absolutely hilarious — a comedy classic!
Having heard a lot about this Akshaye Khanna and Ranveer Singh starrer, both of us decided we must watch it together. The theatre was packed, and it was a mixed crowd of Millennials and Gen Z, which clearly showed the excitement surrounding the film.
🧠 Story & Narrative Style
The film is based on how Indian Counter Intelligence attempts to infiltrate the Pakistani underworld mafia operating out of Karachi, Sindh, backed by powerful political forces and the ISI. This covert mission is code-named “Dhurandhar.”
The plot itself remains quite simple. Ranveer Singh plays Hamza Ali Mazari, an Indian Dhurandhar agent sent by the Director of Intelligence — portrayed brilliantly by R. Madhavan. His first big move in the mission is getting himself recruited by the feared Karachi mafia don Rahman Dakait, played brilliantly and effortlessly by Akshaye Khanna.
The film is uniquely structured into eight chapters, each aptly named to reflect the situations, political turbulence, and dramatic conflicts in that portion of the story. There are references to Benazir Bhutto’s political party, now led by her husband, adding a realistic political layer.
Another extremely significant and impactful performance comes from Rakesh Bedi (remember him from Yeh Jo Hai Zindagi?). He plays Jameel Jamali, a shrewd politician trying to control Karachi with Rahman’s backing. Personally, I felt this might just be Rakesh Bedi’s best performance ever.
Whenever Akshaye Khanna and Rakesh Bedi appear on screen — whether individually or together — they absolutely light it up. Either with Rahman Dakait’s fierce intensity or with Jameel Jamali’s cunning humor. There’s even a hilarious recurring gag where Sanjay Dutt’s character, SP Chaudhary Aslam, has Jameel saved in his phone as “Suwar Jameel” (Pig Jameel)!
🔥 Tone, Action & Dialogue
The film is intense, the action sequences are raw, brutal, and very realistic, and the language is filled with swearing and curse words. This is not a sugar-coated Bollywood thriller — it’s gritty and unapologetic.
However, despite the strong execution, there weren’t too many memorable dialogues worth taking home, except one clever line blending two iconic Sunny Paaji titles (Ghayal and Ghatak):
“Ghayal hoon, isiliye Ghatak hoon.”
That one definitely hits!
⚖️ On Censorship & Changing Cinema Culture
What truly surprised me was how this level of cuss language passed the Indian Censor Board. We’ve seen such profanity in OTT dramas on platforms like Netflix and Amazon Prime, but watching it openly accepted in mainstream cinema — and more surprisingly, watching audiences including women actually enjoying and cheering it — was unexpected.
I am pretty sure Kader Khan, known for powerful yet dignified dialogues, would be turning in his grave. And surely the legendary duo Salim-Javed must be wondering where Hindi cinema is heading!
🕒 Length & Performances
At around 220 minutes, the film does feel stretched and occasionally dragging — but overall, it remains highly engaging and enjoyable.
The two actors who absolutely stole the show for me were:
⭐ Akshaye Khanna
⭐ Rakesh Bedi
Performances That Steal the Show
🔥 Akshaye Khanna – Absolutely Brilliant
Fierce, intense, and magnetic — Akshaye Khanna carries the film on his shoulders with sheer screen presence. His portrayal of Rahman Dakait is menacing yet captivating. He is the one who get’s all the whistles in theatre from audiences.
And then comes the absolute surprise package of the film…
🎶 FA9LA Song & Akshaye Khanna’s Viral Dance Moment
One of the most talked-about and electrifying moments in the film is the FA9LA song, where Akshaye Khanna breaks into a stylish, attitude-filled dance sequence. This isn’t your typical Bollywood dancing — it’s raw personality, swagger, controlled energy, and commanding charisma.
The song has already gone viral across social media, with fans sharing clips and celebrating how effortlessly Akshaye dominates the frame. It has become a cultural highlight of the film — the kind of moment people come out of the theatre talking about.
This is Akshaye Khanna’s second big performance this year. Earlier, in Chaava, his portrayal of Aurangzeb was so convincing that I genuinely felt I was looking at the real Aurangzeb! Kudos to the comeback star of 2025. Honestly, I don’t think either film would have worked so well without him.
The film is directed by the successful and talented Aditya Dhar, husband of the brilliant actress Yami Gautam, known for her strong screen presence.
And yes — there is also a credit to Rahul Gandhi in the film. I was jokingly telling my friend during the movie, “Even Pappu is into movies now!” 😄
Franchise Continues – Dhurandhar Part 2 Announced
One of the biggest takeaways after watching Dhurandhar is that the story doesn’t end here. The makers have already confirmed the sequel:
Dhurandhar – Revenge
🎥 Releasing in March 2026
⭐ My Verdict
I would have happily given this film 8.5 / 10, but because of the cuss dialogues, my rating drops to:
⭐ 6.5 / 10
🎯 Department-wise Ratings
Casting — Absolutely brilliant | 8/10
Direction — 9/10
Performances — 10/10
Action — 10/10
Screenplay — 8/10
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