Dhurandhar The Revenge Review – Loud, Long But Good

Dhurandhar: The Revenge, directed by Aditya Dhar, is a colossal, doc‑drama‑style sequel that follows the aftermath of Akshay Khanna’s character Lt. Commander Vikrant “VK” Kapoor. The film opens with a series of flashbacks that show how Ranveer Singh’s death‑sentenced prisoner is transformed into a deep‑cover Indian spy, setting up a narrative that blends mythmaking, mass heroism, and political messaging into a roughly four‑hourtheatrical experience.

Synopsis

The story picks up right after Vikrant Kapoor’s death and re‑traces the events that shaped Ranveer Singh’s character – from a condemned inmate to a clandestine agent operating inside the underbelly of terrorism and politics. The first 30 minutes are heavily invested in montages and extended action blocks, which slow the momentum and make the film feel like compressed web‑series material. The film truly gains intensity from Chapter 3, and hits its stride in Chapter 4, titled “Ghosts from the Past”, where several easter eggs and layered backstories surface. The post‑interval scene is a standout highlight, acting as a narrative banger that propels the second half into full‑throttle mode. The story also weaves in the present Indian government’s demonetisation agenda and folds in the Dawood Ibrahimcharacter as a symbolic villain, culminating in a twist that connects Dawood’s health issue to a secret so unexpected it earns spontaneous applause in theatres.

Performances

Ranveer Singh slips easily into his larger‑than‑life persona, bringing the required swagger and rage, but his role feels increasingly clichéd and repetitive after a point, echoing beats and choices from the first film. The real emotional anchor is R. Madhavan, who, despite minimal screen time, dominates every frame with controlled intensity and quiet authority. Arjun Rampal adds weight with his grounded presence, while Sanjay Dutt’s culmination scene is pure, clap‑worthy drama delivered with theatrical flair. The film, however, struggles with its softer side: the romantic chemistry between Ranveer Singh and Sara Arjun never fully clicks, leaving that emotional layer undercooked and more functional than heartfelt.

Analysis

The film’s greatest strength lies in its ambition and spectacle. The sequence where the protagonist meets Dawood Ibrahim is intensely written and staged, and the interval plus the climax twist generate genuine audience applause. Conceptually, the film is written as a doc‑drama that deliberately idolises the ruling government’s power and influence in shutting down terrorist networks, which means several scenes lean heavily into propaganda and political messaging. On the flip side, the movie is too lengthy and could have worked better as a tightly edited web series. The first 30 minutes feel stretched, the action sequences run too long, and the climax action block becomes fatiguing rather than thrilling. Ranveer’s arc turns predictable, and the overall narrative sacrifices nuance for mass‑appeal and applause‑bait.

Technical aspects

Technically, Dhurandhar: The Revenge is solid but not groundbreaking. The action sequences are well‑designed and shot with scale, and the editing keeps the marathon runtime reasonably engaging, even when the story drags. The sound design and effects are a standout, effectively amplifying punches, gunfights, and dramatic monologues. However, beyond these, there is little that feels visually or stylistically innovative; the film prioritises loudness and emotion over technical experimentation.

Final conclusion

Dhurandhar: The Revenge is a massive, polarising, four‑hour political‑pulp epic that worships power, both in its narrative and its politics. It delivers strong performances from Madhavan, Ranveer Singh, and Sanjay Dutt, along with applause‑worthy twists and a genuinely intense post‑interval stretch. At the same time, its excessive length, drawn‑out action, and clichéd character arcs make it a physically taxing experience. With sharper writing and tighter trimming, it could have been a tighter, more memorable spy saga; as it stands, it’s an exhausting but often thrilling tribute to state power and mass heroism.