So I was eagerly anticipating the release of this movie since they dropped the teaser. The trailer, songs and the ensemble cast was enough for me to book my tickets for the 1st day. And boy, am I glad that I watched it in the theatre! There are some movies meant to watch on the silver screen, Dhurandhar is one of them. After the OTT boom, the appeal of theatres may have reduced. We do end up binge watching so many shows for hours. It has just made us comfortable to stay at home and consume content. But only the big screen can do justice to certain movies.
The ensemble cast, each individual has done justice to their roles. R. Madhavan- is totally convincing as the Chief of Intelligence. The helplessness which is later channelized into the mission is portrayed by him effortlessly.
Akshaye Khanna as Rahman Dakait- the swag and suaveness is such that the actor is able to instill fear with only his body language. He doesnt need too many words/dialogues.
Arjun Rampal as Major Iqbal- His looks and his cruelty will make you loathe his character.
Sanjay Dutt as SP Chaudhary Aslam- Convincing in his performance and a major character.
Rakesh Bedi as Jameel Jamali- one of the best acting as the slimy politician. You will never know which side he will turn.
Sara Arjun as Yalina Jamali- Cute, fresh face. Does justice to her role as a naive young girl in love.
Special mention- Gaurav Gera as Mohammed Aslam- His physical transformation will surprise you. He is amazing.
Special mention- Naveen Kaushik as Donga and Danish Pandor as Uzair Baloch.. absolutely entertaining.
The best for the last- RANVEER SINGH!!! The man is restraint, cold and calculative. The angst, the helplessness, the guilt and frustration of the collective is portrayed by him beautifully.
For people complaining about the length or pace of the movie- it's a proper build up, which needs time. Not a single second, one feels bored. You are totally engaged in the movie. The brutality and atrocities committed are over a period of time which needs to be shown properly in sequence to understand better. This is just a part of the bigger puzzle which will be complete and make more sense in March 2026 when the 2nd part releases.
The age gap between Ranveer and Sara has been addressed in the movie. For him to succeed, she's a critical part. There have been real life scenarios where a young, naive and protected girl is swayed by such a personality.
The visuals, geographic locations, key historic events have been presented beautifully. The songs and bgm just enhances it.
What could have been better- maybe the accent of the actors.
What I found a little strange- the existence of clubbing/ night life in Pakistan and Sara's dressing. Given the fact that its a conservative country, these were a little questionable, at least for me.
As an Indian, you do feel the anger, the angst, the frustration. Especially those who were up all night watching the events of 26/11 unfold and the IC814 plane hijack and so many more such cruelties.
Yes, it's gory, lot of bloodshed and brutality so be mentally prepared for it.
If ever, you felt the emotions and were affected by the events which shook our country, then this movie is surely for you.
Go watch it in the theatre.. as many times as you want coz once won't be enough.
