Dhurandhar: The Revenge

The few narrative shortcomings aside, "Dhurandhar: The Revenge" offers more in terms of character development and features one of Ranveer Singh's finest performances

Dhurandhar: The Revenge continues to exhibit a strong command over its craft. I liked how an action sequence opened with a minimalistic image of just two innocuous grenades flying before blasting off in fiery fury.

The second part of the Aditya Dhar directorial is an out-and-out Ranveer Singh show.

What I disliked in Dhurandhar, I disliked even more in this one. None of what I liked was carried forward here. And the propaganda that was subtle and annoying, is now blatant and amusing.

The sequel to Bollywood's biggest hit, the violent spy saga Dhurandhar: The Revenge is a naked piece of political propaganda that lacks the momentum of its predecessor.

'Dhurandhar: The Revenge' is a paradox. It's a brilliantly executed spy thriller with top-tier action, compelling moments, and undeniable cinematic ambition. But it's also a film that leans heavily into propaganda, using real-world pain and political sentiment to amplify its impact.

Aditya Dhar's bloated spy sequel centring Ranveer Singh is more jingoist than thou, with its considerable runtime stretching beyond four hours undermining its narrative impact.

Ranveer Singh's soul-baring act is worth every minute of the film. Dhurandhar: The Revenge is a visually striking, action-heavy film that delivers an engaging cinematic experience.

Dhurandhar: The Revenge suffers terribly from Akshaye Khanna's absence and makes the same mistake as Game of Thrones by killing its juiciest characters too soon. Though Aditya Dhar is a skilled filmmaker, the film's 229-minute runtime, indulgent filmmaking and contrived plotting increasingly begins to feel reverse-engineered as it plods towards the end.

Aditya Dhar's direction is excellent. He has narrated the drama in such a fascinating manner that the viewers will feel not just entertained but also enlightened. The last around half an hour of the drama — which is pretty much the climax — is outstanding and keeps the audience at the edge of their seats.

Not just Ranveer Singh; R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, and Rakesh Bedi's performances were absolutely mind-blowing!

In my opinion, the real mastery of Aditya Dhar lies in his ability to utilize the gore-filled, technically superior craft elements, which makes people overlook the problematic aspects. Vivek Agnihotri and Vipul Shah should attend his filmmaking classes.

Aditya Dhar and Ranveer Singh deliver an absolute cinema with a few flaws that one can choose to overlook. Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge packs a punch with its action, performances, direction and twists. However, the pace, runtime, and BGM could do better.

Pakistani politics, which was at the heart of Part 1, becomes a minor plot point; Lyari is largely forgotten. Narendra Modi's elevation to Prime Minister and demonetisation take centrestage instead.