Join WhatsApp Channel
Part one of the film seems almost like an extended trailer now! Dhurandhar The Revenge is where it was all headed—a seamless mix of chilling fact, smart dramatization and considered fiction, all coalescing into an epic conclusion.
Just one nitpick that takes the level a bit down in the fiction element: the rather ‘filmi’ and overlong last confrontation between Hamza (Ranveer Singh) and ISI chief Iqbal (Arjun Rampal). This overlong sequence feels just like any extended last fight between a hero and the main villain in any actioner. Also, the ease with which the Pakistani anti-Indian forces are rapidly eliminated later does not look very convincing!
That apart, Dhurandhar The Revenge, for me is almost like a masterclass in espionage filmmaking. It makes Bond movies look like fairytales and the nearest it comes to any drama I have seen in Hindi (apart from Dhurandhar itself last year) is the gritty, savagely ruthless Sarfarosh, which itself had many real facts used. Like Sarfarosh, Dhurandharhad not even one extra frame. But this part does have them in the above segment.
The violence? Graphic to the extreme, beyond the scale of Part One, but completely relevant and thus relatable and not gratuitous at all. The kind that makes us feel certain emotions from within—either compassion, revulsion or exultation. The death sequence of Iqbal would have been even more mind-blowing in concept and impact had it come in a far crisper way!
But enough of Iqbal! The film begins with the backstory of Jaskirat Singh Rangi (Ranveer Singh) and why and how Ajay Sanyal (R. Madhavan) made him metamorphose into Hamza Ali Mazari. That part, even if again a shade ‘filmi’ in its core creation, is electric, spectacular and a crackerjack of a beginning. There are two crucial elements that come in later thanks to Jaskirat’s poignant past saga, and they are masterstrokes in scripting, especially the sequence in the post-climax.
Hamza’s handler, ‘Mohammad Aalam’ (Gaurav Gera, absolutely superb) is with him here as well. Those who have watched Part 1 (and they definitely should watch it on OTT before catching up with this sequel) will know how good he was then, and he is even more evocative now.
Intelligence chief Sanyal’s remarks come true again: that India’s enemy Pakistan ranks at No. 2, when we see how, as shown in Sarfarosh, our fellow countrymen sell their soul as the Numero Uno foes of our own nation. Hamza, now one of the top names in the Baloch clan after he has engineered the death of Rehman Dakait (Akshaye Khanna) in the former, gradually moves up the scale, gaining even more confidence of Javed Khanani (Ankit Sagar) and Iqbal besides the slimy politician, Jameel Jamali (Rakesh Bedi), who is now also his father-in-law, and more.
Rehman’s brother, Uzair Baloch (Danish Pandor) and Hamza work as one unit as they seek to gain supremacy in the politics of Lyari, where Arshad Pappu (Ashwin Dhar) is trying to be kingpin. Lyari, as we all know, is the center-point of the power struggle in Pakistan, and was also infamous for its gang wars.
Amidst all this turmoil, Hamza has to emotionally satisfy his loving wife, Yalina Jamali (Sara Arjun) and their child, Zayan (Umarr Naved Nirban) and also ensure that the work for which he has come to Pakistan continues smoothly.
As in Part 1, real events and many of their (real) causes are seamlessly exposed, like the Mumbai attacks in the former film. Here, we have the URI Surgical Strikes (immortalized by this filmmaker-writer himself in his 2019 blockbuster directorial debut, URI—The Surgical Strike). Then there is the overnight 2017 demonetization move that pre-empted a Rs. 6000 billion attack on the Indian economy with counterfeit money printed (with an Indian traitor’s help) in Pakistan.
Real events, truths and conspiracies thwarted by agents like Hamza and Mohammad are quickly and rapidly exposed, also accompanied by the expert use of real footage.
Having accomplished his mission successfully, what happens to Hamza in the end? Now that’s something to be watched. We can only, yet again, bow in reverence to thousands of such selfless souls who live and work in enemy terrains and because of whom we Indians can live in safety.
Ranveer Singh is monumental and more as Jaskirat-turned-Hamza. In each and every scene, he simply RULES, whoever be with him in the scene. He is supremely effective as Jaskirat but comes into his own as Hamza yet again.
Full marks also go to R. Madhavan, that powerhouse performer who can slip seamlessly into the widest array of characters. Gaurav Gera is, to repeat, outstanding. Sara Arjun gets lesser footage but better scope to show her in-depth talent. Danish Pandor is fabulous as Uzair, so much that I even felt sorry for Uzair when he was in dire straits.
Arjun Rampal is effective, but Rakesh Bedi, especially in the climax, is stupendous. Sanjay Dutt is, as in Dhurandhar, entertaining more than being a baddie. Manav Gohil as Sushant Bansal and Ashwin Dhar as Arshad Pappu are good too, as is the rest of the supporting cast. Mustafa Ahmed as Rizwan makes a special mark.
(At this point, perhaps, it is fit to mention to detractors of all hues who term this as a ‘propaganda’ film targeting a specific community, that not less than 16 members from the featured cast, as well as lyricist Irshad Kamil, the Line Producer Naseer Ahmed Khan, two of the Stunt Coordinators and a significant part of the crew are Muslims! Clearly, they know what this film is about, as they are Indians to the core!)
The action (Aejaz Gulab, Sea Young Oh, Yannick Ben & Ramazan Bulut), costumes (Smriti Chauhan), sound (Bishwadeep Chatterjee) and Prosthetic Design (Preetisheel Singh D’souza) are like cinematic textbooks in those departments. The production design (Saini S. Johray) is plain magnificent yet again, as in Vikash Nowlakha’s cinematography. However, Shivkumar Panicker’s editing was marked by greater precision in the original.
As is Aditya Dhar’s writing and direction, excellent though it is!
The BGM is fine, but Shashwat Sachdev’s music is not at all what it was in the earlier prequel, which stood out.
Rating: ****
B62 Studios’ & Jio Studios’ Dhurandhar The Revenge Produced by: Aditya Dhar, Lokesh Dhar & Jyoti Deshpande Directed by: Aditya Dhar Written by: Aditya Dhar, Shivkumar J. Panicker & Ojas Gautam Music: Shashwat Sachdev Starring: Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun, Rakesh Bedi, Gaurav Gera, Saumya Tandon, Danish Pandor, Manav Gohil, Ashwin Dhar, Asif Ali Haider Khan, Mashhoor Amrohi, Suvinder Pal, Mustafa Ahmed, Umarr Naved Nirban, Aditya Uppal, Danish Iqbal, Salim Sidiqui, Parveer Kaur, Hitika Bali
