Dhurandhar: The Revenge review - It's a Ranveer Singh show but the brutal violence goes too far

Three months ago, on December 5, Aditya Dhar introduced the world to Dhurandhar. After all the hype and record-breaking success, which the first one was truly worthy of, the craze it created left millions of fans mad about the movie and eagerly waiting with all their hearts and madness for the second instalment, with so many questions. Dhurandhar: The Revenge has now arrived, bringing back the same Hamza Ali Mazari, this time revealing his true identity, but becoming louder, more brutal, and heavier on action.

The first part gripped audiences worldwide with its docu-drama style, not only impressing viewers but also becoming that one film many Indian movie buffs had been waiting to experience on the big screen for a long time. If we compare the sequel with the first part, without any iota of doubt, the latter wins. But what did the second part lack? The actors are the same, the writers are the same, and the staging and background are much better. Then what is it in this part that doesn’t do justice to the impact that the first part had?

It’s often said that when the first film sets the bar too high, living up to those expectations becomes incredibly difficult, and this sequel clearly faces that challenge.

Dhurandhar: The Revenge: No spoiler

Continuing from where it left off, Dhurandhar: The Revenge follows the life of Jaskirat Singh Rangi as Hamza Ali Mazari, an Indian agent in Pakistan who infiltrates the Lyari gang and rises to become the King of Lyari. The first part ended with Hamza being introduced as Jaskirat Singh Rangi, and the second part continues with the same man. The movie stars with the story of why Jaskirat became Hamza, the story of his revenge that he took in his hometown of Pathankot, India, after the police wronged him and his family. Whatever help they sought from the government only led to the horrific death of his father and destroyed the family. It shows how he met Indian intelligence officer Ajay Sanyal (R. Madhavan) and was introduced to this mission. Cut to Pakistan, after the death of the gang leader Rehman Dakait (played by Akshaye Khanna), whom he killed after teaming up with Chaudhary Aslam (Sanjay Dutt), Hamza becomes the new King of Lyari. He has a settled business and a family as he continues to do his illegal dealings and learn about the ill intentions of Pakistan. At the same time, the one thing constantly on his mind is revenge. How will he take that revenge, and will he get caught? I don’t want to reveal.

Dhurandhar: The Revenge - Aditya Dhar focused a lot on action

As I said above, Aditya Dhar’s film faces the challenge of living up to the expectations set by the first film, which was truly a mind-blowing saga. Dhurandhar raised the bar so high that its sequel had a tough task from the start, and while The Revenge goes bigger, louder, and more brutal, especially in the climax, it still doesn’t fully recreate the impact of the first.

Ranveer Singh as Jaskirat Singh Rangi Photograph: (X)

The 3-hour-55-minute film is not just long, but feels too long. It directly fills gaps with unnecessary fight sequences that needed to be trimmed down. Even many major revelations in the movie fail to deliver that wow factor. The first half takes a lot of time, while the second half feels rushed. Most of the time, it feels like the story keeps going on and on, and you are simply going along with it without any eagerness.

I missed that sense of enjoyment and curiosity to see what would come next, as the movie, which was a spy saga, turns out to be more of a gangster thriller. Things are sensationalised, and the dialogues become way too much at times. Action and violence have overpowered the story.

But what truly keeps you engaged is how things are presented, the detailed way in which the story is told without being messed up. It is linear and simple, detailing the years of the saga it delves into. It touches upon several real-life events and personalities, and that works in favour of the movie. A special shout-out to the film’s background score, which is loud, but works well with the scale of the climax shown in the movie, making the movie a truly theatrical experience. Overall, Dhurandhar: The Revenge works in parts and impresses with its scale and presentation, but falls short because of its action.

Dhurandhar is out-and-out Ranveer Singh’s show

Dhurandhar became more of Akshaye Khanna’s show, with his character of Dakait not only taking all the attention but also becoming the centre of whatever was happening. Whether we admit it or not, Ranveer was somewhat of a sidekick. But all in all, we enjoyed every bit of it. However, coming to Dhurandhar: The Revenge, it’s all Ranveer’s show, where he holds the attention from start to finish with his long beard and over-the-top look, which I felt was odd in many portions of the movie. Wasn’t he overdressed? I felt that, especially when compared to the gritty realism of the film.

But we must say that Singh has delivered one of the most raw performances of his career. He is brutal, the way he delivers dialogues, both with rage and calmness, stands out. His acting is truly impressive in the bathroom scene where it shows how fragile he becomes when his friend dies.

Final verdict

With outstanding performance by the prolific team of actors, who don't need an introduction, Dhurandhar 2. At its core, is a man’s game, run by power, revenge, and dominance, which the first one was too, but this time, all attention is on action, which is way too much.