Dhurandhar

“Despite the many, many characters Dhurandhar introduces to give us a sense of Lyari's power, crime, political and family dynamics, the plot is fairly comprehensible. Most of the time though, Dhurandhar I is all about which of the three current and ageing hunks – Ranveer Singh as Hamza, Rampal as the ISI's Major Iqbal, and Sanjay Dutt as Karachi police encounter specialist Choudhary Aslam – can land and stand how much blood and gore.”

“Is this one of the best Spy thrillers coming out of Indian Cinema? Definitely Yes! Better than the Spy Universe? Well, in my opinion, yes! Does this also mean that the film is a masterpiece that needs to be celebrated? Well, Celebrations – definitely yes! Masterpiece – No!”

“Bollywood gangster saga Dhurandhar walks a fine line between raucous entertainment and hateful propaganda. With more blood and guts than a slaughterhouse, it’s one of the most viciously enthralling films this year, following a fictitious undercover operative influencing real historical events, like Forrest Gump with a Kalashnikov.”

“Dhurandhar is a gripping, emotional, and thoroughly engaging spy thriller. With powerful performances from Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna, strong direction by Aditya Dhar, and a story filled with action, love, patriotism, and memorable villains, the film is made for the big screen.”

“Dhurandhar is a film that refuses to be contained by the grammar of a conventional spy thriller. It is visceral, atmospheric, richly performed, and undeniably cinematic. It is also, unfortunately, too long.”

“This is indeed one of Ranveer Singh's best performances of the year. This film is indeed one of the most engaging releases of this year. For the theatre going audiences, this film is a complete package and an absolute value for money.”

“Dhurandhar is enjoyable, and it will work at the box office. Watch it with patience. See this film from Hamza's POV, and you'll be engrossed in his journey to enemies from their territory.”

“Despite its length and unflinching violence, Dhurandhar grips you from start to finish and never lets go. Ranveer Singh returns to claim his number one spot in a layered, restrained avatar that plays to his strengths. The music and background score — weaving 70s and 80s Bappi Lahiri classics into modern soundscapes — are a triumph.”

“DHURANDHAR is a big-screen experience”

“Dhurandhar's three-and-a-half-hour length works against it, but Aditya Dhar's direction, aided by the performances - chiefly Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna - elevate the film. Trim thirty minutes and this would have been a knockout. As it stands, it is a sturdy watch.”

“Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna and R Madhavan excel in this IC-814–era spy thriller, though its lengthy runtime dulls the climax.”

“The film's powerful core is diluted by overt jingoism, unnecessary subplots, and a tendency to dumb down its message for the audience. Despite these irritants, it remains a largely engaging, albeit flawed, tribute to India's heroes.”

“Ranveer Singh delivers a knockout punch in Aditya Dhar's high-voltage actioner, with the film offering intense action sequences and strong performances from its ensemble cast.”

“Feral Ranveer Singh and stellar Akshaye Khanna drive an indulgent spy thriller home.”

“Dhurandhar is a semi-dragfest in the first half with gory bloodshed and action, but the film develops much-needed pace in the second half. Those who love action will find the film appealing if they can withstand the slow first half narrative.”

“Dhurandhar has been performed, written, and directed by those who haven't ever stepped a foot in Karachi, and perhaps never will. Ranveer Singh's film feels overwhelming for its length.”

“Extremely violent and gory Indian action epic on terrorism.”

“With Dhurandhar's second part, it is as if director Aditya Dhar wanted to prove his critics right, and not wrong. Films such as Dhurandhar are enabling the construction of a new kind of Indian citizen, in which a narrowly defined nationalism is the only virtue and is also indissolubly associated with violence. This has grave implications for culture as well as democracy.”

“As a spy drama, Dhurandhar attempts to stay raw and grounded, avoiding the glamorous tone of other popular spy universes in Bollywood. However, this realistic approach falters at times—especially during a climactic face-off between Akshaye Khanna and Sanjay Dutt. Despite incredible performances, film drags with its pace.”

“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. What it does have is excessive violence and a bunch of characters that one can neither like nor hate.”

“Dhurandhar has problems but an indifferent Pakistan isn't one of them. Rather, Dhar's fantasy Karachi is about the most exciting, dangerous setting you can imagine... There's a cold calculation to Dhar's idea of Pakistan, and of male Muslim identity... There's a reason India is so distant in Dhurandhar—it allows the film's barbarism to be seen as Pakistan's barbarism.”

“Dhurandhar is the result of Dhar's directing skills mating with a Research and Analysis Wing PowerPoint presentation. Dhar's proficiency with Hollywood-style carnage and talent for creating distinctive characters, coupled with the literal anti-Pakistan bashing, make Dhurandhar appear a lot more momentous than it actually is. A considerable stretch of the staggering 214-minute film is no different from gangland chronicles led by swaggering, aphorism-dripping men.”

“Dhurandhar is Aditya Dhar's most politically assertive film, tracing India's covert operations through real historical tragedies. Ranveer Singh leads with conviction, but Akshaye Khanna delivers the most compelling performance.”

“He may be Dhurandhar's most ruthless villain, but look closer and Akshaye Khanna's character reveals something unexpected—empathy, loyalty, emotional restraint, and a quiet devotion that turns a feared antagonist into an unlikely study in husband material.”

“Aditya Dhar's ambitious but overstretched and chest-thumping espionage saga serves political interests, tests endurance. The bigger problem is that Aditya has bitten more than he could chew. Like the popular Hasan Jahangir number of the late 1980s used in the film, there is a lot of 'Hawa Hawa', with a pretence of substance.”