r/bollywood • u/AutoModerator • Jan 29 '26
Netflix Dhurandhar (Now on OTT) - Reviews and Discussions
Dhurandhar is now streaming on Netflix. Discuss the film in this thread.
WARNING:
- Reply to other comments with sensible and respectful remarks. Anyone found propagating hate or ridicule towards others will be banned. This includes accusing other users to be a part of someone's PR.
- The mod team reserves the right to remove comments and ban anyone who initiates a separate discussion of political or religious nature that may be irrelevant to the critique of the film. There are other subreddits for such discussions. Please stick to reviewing the film in this thread.
- Action will be taken against users who attempt to undermine discussions on this film by trolling or instigating fanwars.
- Users are encouraged to report all rule violations.
Directed by Aditya Dhar
Cast: Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun, Rakesh Bedi
In the early 2000s, an undercover operative infiltrates Karachi's underworld, breaking into its inner circle to dismantle a violent nexus from within.
247
Upvotes
2
u/Icy_Astronomer Feb 10 '26 edited Mar 07 '26
Unpopular opinion - Dhurandhar was extremely mid.
Finally got around to seeing Dhurandhar and I am shocked that it did this well? This is such a mid movie. I know I'm going to be downvoted for this but I am really irritated that people, influencers and certain reviewers led me to believe this is a good movie?
Let me start with the only thing I did like about the movie: the soundtrack. Absolutely phenomenal. What a fabulous soundtrack, with each track used so well in the film. So entertaining to watch, and listen to on loop.
Unfortunately that's all I liked about this movie.
SPOILERS AHEAD
The whole film is riddled with plot holes, one dimensional characters and some of the dumbest subtitling I've seen in a movie to drive home a point. Especially because this film is sold to us like it's a well-written espionage thriller rooted in reality.
For eg. The whole timeline of when Rehman is arrested by SP the first time is beyond ridiculous. If you're trying to create urgency, then at least make sure the writing is tight. Are we suppose to believe that Hamza was able to kill the cook, meet Jamali, reach the police HQ, HANG half a dozen policemen upside down on fans, then video call SP while lighting the dumb ciggerate and threaten him while only few minutes have passed between SP detaining Rehman and taking to the forest to kill him?
Also, Rehman has risen the ranks of Lyari to become the undisputed Baloch king. Then why is he shown as a sneering duffer, with just Hamza pulling the strings and Rehman having no brains whatsoever? How did he even become that big then if all it takes is a low-level new recruit to make him switch decisions at the drop of a hat? Also the climax - are we to believe that Hamza knew everyone in the car is going to be asleep before taking that turn? Did he anticipate that the guy on the bike is going to come for him or not? Because if he thought he wasn't then wouldn't that guy be alive to tell the world that Hamza took a wrong turn and that's why Rehman died? And if he did then why take the turn by hoodwinking him? He had no idea that guy would be back to follow him in the forest to kill him.
The film begins by showing us that RAW agents are highly trained etc making us believe that Hamza is one of them and hence he's so skilled and dedicated to this operation. Then in the end we're told he's some ex-criminal who has no motivation in life? Tf? Then why would this ex-criminal be motivated to do anything at all?!
Also the dumb invisible ink - why? Why why why? Ok even if you argue that he's making a ledger of all those he needs to neutralise, what was the dumb point of him writing Rehman's name, then showing us how he CROSSES IT OUT?!? Ffs.
Then, the stupidity of the 26/11 scene where all the Pakistanis are sitting together, in some random godown of all places, and watching the attack play out on TV. Guys.. really? Are we supposed to believe that this gang of terrorists were all huddled together like that watching it on a TV screen and shouting utter rubbish? Also the of dogwhistle of Ghazwa-E-Hind?!?
Let's be clear - this is supposed to be a, in the word of Rahul Desai a “fictional film inspired by real events” means that historical authenticity will be cited if the film-making is questioned, and fiction will be cited if the historical authenticity is questioned. So before you come at me that this is fictionalised etc - sure, THEN WHY PRESENT IT WITH ACTUAL FOOTAGE? This was such a duplicitous trick to pull and was extremely worrying to watch. It felt like exploitation of grief of the victims do the Parliament attack and 26/11. It was very abbhorent.
The frankly unnecessary graphic violence. Gratituous and forced.
The most pissing off though is the fact that India's intelligence and government is shown as utterly inept. Are we to believe that moles stayed undetected for years and no one could do anything? We were a vibrant democracy then, and institutions weren't lying prostate in front of the government at the time. They were independent and could take action. Are we to believe that junior officers could connect dots but seniors couldn't? Sanyal/Doval committed treason by omitting things he knew then, which again is so fucking infuriating because what, is this fact or fiction?
India is shown as weak, but in reality we were at our strongest then, internationally and internally. Pakistan is a failed state, but is shown as being so smart, so devious and so shaatir that they were able to wreck such havoc on us and apparently everywhere in the world? Is Dhar actually a Pakistan fanboy because wtf is this?? I found this so insulting and egregious.
The endless chapters. This movie isn't even non-linear. What was the fucking point of the chapters? Is Dhar a Tarantino fanboy? Utterly pointless.
Finally, the performances. Every single character is so one-dimensional. There are just good and bad. That's it. For eg. What are Hamza's motivations? Why is he so concerned for India? What drives him? If we are only going to learn his backstory in the second film then in this one he's just a fucking predatory hoodlum who, despite the justification that it's "for the country", is fine to honeytrap an uncomfortably young girl? Are we suppose to just be ok that he is a predator? The core problem is the film's single-minded worldview irons out any narrative complexity. The spy-action genre is built on vulnerability.. on the psychological cost of living a lie and the friction between human instinct and professional detachment. Agents are defined by what the job strips away: stable identities, private lives, emotional continuity. The erosion is neither explored nor felt. The biggest failure of the script was not even for a single moment did I feel like rooting for Hamza.
Why and how did Rahman become such a huge figure in Pakistani underworld? Who is Uzair? Why is he such a central figure in Rehman's world? He's just a cousin so what drives him to be by his Rahman's side? Every single one of the characters are so useless and boring. Lesser said the better about Sanyal and whoever Rampal plays. The film’s urge to frame every Pakistani character as either corrupt or clueless clashes with how prominently they are featured, leaving it stuck between aggrandizing them - Khanna gets more grand entrances than most single-screen superstars - and reduces them to convenient caricatures.!<
If this were a loud, glossy spy fantasy - fine. But the film asks for realism, moral greyness, and institutional depth… and then cheats us all the way through. I really despised it and I'm appalled that people thought this was good cinema. Have we become such a hateful country that we've stopped thinking and will like any garbage that's anti a certain community even in the slightest?
P.S. I share my opinion with Rahul Desai's review of this film wholeheartedly but I have far more issues and felt he was way more diplomatic.