Dhurandhar Movie Review by Sucharita Tyagi - The expanse and width of the story is not a problem — I love watching an epic play out. The issue lies with how cumbersome the viewing experience is. We are told this is inspired by some incredible real event, no further information given. Some names are real, some made up, some events are imaginary, some factual. It’s vexing, not being able to put your finger on WHAT the film is going for, aside from national pride. In the middle of recreating the 26/11 terror attacks in Mumbai, Aditya Dhar makes the bizarre choice of cutting to real audio recordings between the terrorists and their handlers from the day, effectively blurring all non-committal lines. Clunkily, he does this by pausing the film to show text on screen explaining what we’re about to hear are real recordings from the day. He does this for the 2001 New Delhi Parliament attacks as well, using real footage from the day. Aditya Dhar seems to be saying “it doesn't matter if I don't give you names and facts — there is some truth under all of this,” so the implication to a trusting audience is that everything you watch in this film is the truth.
There’s a magnificent stretch leading up to the climax, or rather the incomplete version of the climax you get in part 1, but this stretch is where the remade title track kicks in and Akshaye Khanna and Ranveer Singh barrel forward in a moving car, heading straight into an action set-piece. It’s the kind of sequence that makes you sit up straighter, fully aware you’re watching movie magic. But beneath that adrenaline, I felt an unmistakable unease. Something sinister hums under the surface; I can’t quite articulate it yet — perhaps my thoughts may become clearer when part 2 comes out next April. But you best believe something nefarious is afoot when the film chooses to end with: “Yeh naya Hindustan hai. Yeh ghar mein ghusega bhi, aur maarega bhi.” The film is in theatres, dekho and batao.
00:00 - Introduction 00:31 - Launching channel memberships 00:48 - Dhurandhar Story Recap 2:07 - Review begins 06:12 - Why am I worried
______ Sucharita Tyagi is the Vice Chairperson of the Film Critics Guild of India. With nearly 20 years of media experience, she is best known for her popular movie reviews on YouTube, where she has built a community of dedicated fans. Now splitting her time between Mumbai and New York, Tyagi also has extensive experience in broadcast radio. With a unique voice, she reviews films and discusses South Asian pop culture with honesty and passion through a contemporary, feminist lens, breaking down complex issues in relatable ways.
Dhurandhar (transl. Stalwart) is a 2025 Indian Hindi-language spy action thriller film written, directed, and co-produced by Aditya Dhar. Produced by Jyoti Deshpande, Aditya Dhar, and Lokesh Dhar under the banners Jio Studios and B62 Studios, it stars Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun, and Rakesh Bedi.The film is inspired by the real-life incidents, geopolitical conflicts, and covert operations of India's intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), particularly Operation Lyari, a government-led crackdown on local gangs and crime syndicates in the Lyari area of Karachi, Pakistan.The first instalment of a two-part series, the second instalment titled Dhurandhar Part 2 will release on 19 March 2026.
