Dhurandhar

On 30 December 1999, Minister of External Affairs Devavrat Kapoor and Director of the Intelligence Bureau Ajay Sanyal negotiate with terrorist Zahoor Mistry to release three terrorists, including his brother, and pay a ransom of $10 million USD in exchange for the lives of airline passengers held captive in Kandahar.Chief of R&AW K.S.Bhullar rejects Sanyals proposal to infiltrate terrorist networks in Pakistan, but after the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, Kapoor approves Sanyals Operation Dhurandhar.Sanyal deploys agent Hamza Ali Mazari to Pakistan via Afghanistan.

Upon reaching Lyari, Karachi, Hamza meets Mohammed Aalam, a juice shop owner, moves in with him, and works as a waiter, learning about gangster Rehman Dakait and rival leaders.As a Baloch, Hamza can join only Rehmans gang which is led by Rehman and his second-in-command and first cousin Uzair Baloch.Hamza and Aalam learn that a rival Pathan gang led by Rehmans estranged father, Babu Dakait, plans to kill Rehmans eldest son, Naieem Baloch.The next day, Babus men attack a wedding attended by Naieem and his younger brother Faizal; Hamza saves Faizal Baloch, but Naieem is killed.At the hospital, Hamza meets Rehman and his cousin Uzair Baloch, who recruits him after noting his firearm expertise.

Jameel Jamali of the Pakistan Awami Party (PAP) warns Uzair not to retaliate before the Lyari election.While embedded with the gang, Hamza learns of their illegal production of unlicensed firearms.On Hamzas advice, Rehman Dakait decides to avenge Naieems murder.Hamza, Uzair, and the gang kill Babus men; Rehman Dakait murders Babu by smashing his head with a weighing stone, declaring Baloch rule in Lyari.Rehman attends a PAP rally held by Jameel.

Hamza meets Jameel Jamalis daughter Yalina Jamali at the event and later begins a relationship with her.Rehman Dakait is introduced to Major Iqbal, an ISI official, by the Khanani brothers, businessmen who encourage Rehman Dakait to enter politics.Iqbal asks him to supply weapons and ammunition.During dealings, Hamza watches Iqbal brutally torture an Indian spy and learns of his counterfeit-currency operation with the Khananis.Hamza relays this to Aalam, who informs Sanyal; the IB suspects Pakistan possesses Indian currency plates.

While transporting weapons, Hamza discovers plans for a major attack on India and passes the intel to the IB.Rehmans partnership with the Khananis sidelines Jameel from Lyari politics.Rehman enters into the politics with help of Major Iqbal of ISI and Khananis.Rehman declares alliance of his party Peoples Aman Committee with PAP of Aquib Ali Zarwari.Jameel Jamali, then enlists suspended Superintendent of Police (SP) Chaudhary Aslam to eliminate Rehman Dakait.

SP Chaudhry Aslam suggests creation of Lyari Task Force for the elimination of Rehman and his gang from Lyari.Aslam arrests Rehman while Hamza is on a weapons run.Hamza sends Jameel a video recorded by Yalina exposing Jameels collusion with Aslam and gangster Arshad Pappu, whom Jameel promised control of Lyari.Jameel sends the video to Aslam, demanding Rehmans release; Aslam initially refuses, but capitulates after Hamza sends him a livestream of himself and Uzair torturing officers from Aslams Lyari Task Force.Despite the warnings, the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks occur, devastating Hamza as he watches live TV coverage with Rehman and Iqbals gangs.

Enraged at their failure to prevent the attacks, Hamza and Aalam resolve to expose and dismantle Pakistans terror network.He secretly approaches Jameel with a plan to rule Lyari after marrying Yalina, giving Jameel long-term influence through family ties.Hamza then strikes a deal with Jameel and Aslam to eliminate Rehman.At Hamza and Yalinas wedding, Iqbal asks Rehman Dakait for another weapons shipment.Rehman tells Hamza to check his calendar; exploiting Rehmans drunkenness, Hamza schedules the delivery for the same day as another event Rehman must attend, creating an ambush window for SP Chaudhry Aslam.

On 9 August 2009, Hamza sends an unsuspecting Uzair Baloch to the shipment rendezvous point while he drives Rehman and his men to an apparent meeting that is actually Aslams ambush site.Near the location, Rehman realizes Hamzas betrayal, triggering a violent fight inside the car.Hamza crashes the vehicle and flees into the woods as SP Aslam arrives.SP Aslam pursues Rehman while his officers kill Donga, Rehmans henchman, in a firefight.Hamza kills Rehmans other henchman, Shaukat, and then helps Aslam overpower and critically injure Rehman Dakait.

Hamza transports Rehman Dakait to a hospital under the guise of helping him; Rehman succumbs to his injuries soon after, and Hamzas role in his death remains unknown to Uzair Baloch and the others as they arrive at the hospital.Hamzas true identity is revealed as Jaskirat Singh Rangi, an Indian death-row inmate from Indian Punjab trained as a covert agent for Ajays operation.With Rehman Dakait eliminated, he plans to target Bade Sahab, the mastermind and orchestrator of several Pakistani terror attacks, while consolidating power in Lyari.Dhurandhar received mixed-to-positive reviews from critics and audiences.[ 33] On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, 50% of 12 critics reviews are positive, with an average rating of 6.

3/10.[ 68]

Kartik Bhardwaj of The New Indian Express gave 2.5 out of 5 stars writing The Aditya Dhar directorial seems like a film which is asking for your time, so that it can lay down its cards.But then two hours have passed and the ace seems to be still far up its sleeves.[ 69] Uday Bhatia of Mint observed that Dhurandhar offers sadism and expert bad vibes and it shares something else fundamental with Dhars previous work—its propaganda in service of a hawkish India, designed to flatter the ruling BJP leadership.

[ 70]

Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in wrote A considerable stretch of the staggering 214-minute film is no different from gangland chronicles led by swaggering, aphorism-dripping men.Hamzas rise to the top of the Karachi underworld is soaked in blood and cliche.[ 71]

Deepa Gahlot of Rediff.com gave 2.

5 out of 5 stars and wrote that Dhurandhar may not have the dark realism of a spy story, which a web show can manage.But it does not have the flamboyance either that has come to be associated with espionage movies.[ 72] Rahul Desai of The Hollywood Reporter India observed that Aditya Dhars second film after Uri: The Surgical Strike stars Ranveer Singh as a patriotic spy trapped in an inert and distracted action thriller.[ 73]

Shalini Gangar of The Indian Express gave 2.5 out of 5 stars, describing the film as an ambitious spy thriller that ultimately works only in flashes.

She praised the films scale, production values, and the attempt to depict the many layers of Lyaris criminal, political, and familial dynamics.However, she argued that despite its large cast and multiple narrative strands, the film only intermittently comes together, with its storytelling lacking consistency.[ 74] Vineeta Kumar of India Today gave 3 out of 5 stars writing Dhurandhar is a sprawling, muscular, politically sharp thriller that bites off a lot, and thanks to Khannas explosive brilliance, chews most of it successfully.[ 75]

Karthik Ravindranath of the The Week gave 3 out of 5 stars writing The films powerful core is diluted by overt jingoism, unnecessary elements, and a tendency to dumb down its message for the audience.Despite these irritants, it remains a largely engaging, albeit flawed, tribute to Indias heroes.

[ 76] Tatsam Mukherjee of The Wire described the film as The hyper-nationalistic drama leaves nothing to chance in its messaging to the audience.[ 77]

A critic from Bollywood Hungama gave the film 4.5 out of 5 stars, calling Dhurandhar a well-made, ambitious big-screen experience with top-notch craft, memorable moments and some truly outstanding performances.[ 78] Renuka Vyavahare of The Times of India gave the film 3.5 out of 5 stars, calling the film a power-packed Karachi mafia thriller where lead actor Ranveer Singh delivers a subdued yet scorching performance that largely anchors the films impact.

She highlighted the films immersive world-building, the gritty, violent underworld of Karachis Lyari mafia through a narrative structured in multiple chapters, with a runtime of nearly three-and-a-half hours that nevertheless rarely feels overbearing, owing to what is described as stylish, tight storytelling.[ 79] Rishabh Suri of the Hindustan Times gave the film 3 out of 5 stars describing it as a lengthy yet loaded spy drama, highlighting the performances of Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna as well Aditya Dhars direction.He also noted that the film occasionally feels overlong and dense with too many sub-plots.[ 80] Radhika Sharma of NDTV gave 3 out of 5 stars, praising the cast performances and soundtrack, but criticised the second half calling it a completely different film altogether.[ 81] Gayatri Nirmal of Pinkvilla gave 4 out of 5 stars, praising the second-half, screenplay, and background score but criticised the runtime.

[ 82]

Taher Ahmed of Deccan Herald gave 3 out of 5 stars, praising the performances, cinematography, and soundtrack, but criticised the runtime, pacing, and climax.[ 83] Anuj Kumar of The Hindu wrote Moored by a charismatic Akshaye Khanna and a brooding Ranveer Singh, Aditya Dhars ambitious but overstretched and chest-thumping espionage saga serves political interests, tests endurance.[ 84] Simran Khan of Times Now gave 3 out of 5 stars, writing The Aditya Dhar actioners ending doesnt quite justify its lengthy runtime.However the adrenaline-pumping set pieces and relentless high-voltage action action, paired with a background score that amplifies the drama and keeps the tension from ever dipping, make the ride worth it.[ 85].