A direct sequel to Aditya Dhar’s 2025 spy thriller Dhurandhar and released just three months after it, Dhurandhar The Revenge continues with its narration of the journey of an Indian spy and his exploits in a neighbouring country. Exploring themes of patriotism, sacrifice and revenge, it takes the help of real-life incidents to weave a fictional tale of courage, power and heroism, told through the life of Jaskirat Singh Rangi (Ranveer Singh), a young man who aspired to join the Army but was compelled by circumstances to become an undercover intelligence agent.
Divided into six chapters like its predecessor, Dhurandhar The Revenge (also helmed by Dhar) faithfully retains its links with the earlier film and goes one step better, joining the dots and bringing to a full circle the events shown in the former film. Besides providing a detailed explanation of Jaskirat’s backstory and how he adopts the identity of Hamza Mazari, it shows his ascension to power after the death of gangster-politician Rehman Dakait (played by Akshaye Khanna) — with which the first film had ended — and how he subsequently proceeds to accomplish the tasks he had been assigned to do as a secret agent in an alien country.
The plot of the sequel is constructed on a template of the glorification of revenge — Hamza’s trainers tell him that his life will find its true purpose if he fights for a just cause, and that to lay down his life for it would make him a true patriot. It also thrives on belligerent, provocative language, and echoes a rhetoric similar to its predecessor. Bombastic dialogues are delivered a dime a dozen, which, along with the hammer-and-tongs energy and aggression of successive scenes of shootouts and gruesome murders, gang wars and intense power struggles, makes viewing it a tense, nerve-racking and overwhelming experience.
Dhurandhar The Revenge’s many scenes of bloodshed and brutality, death and destruction are clearly meant to build on the optics of sensation and generate a shock-and-awe reflex in the mind of the viewer. Yet to be fair, the constant battle of brain and brawn that one is subject to, is never chaotic — there is a method in the madness.
Hamza’s successive targets of attack follow a pre-determined agenda and are executed with an almost clinical precision. Except for once, in an unfortunate encounter that takes place inside his own home, he seldom betrays any emotion. As a spy on a mission, Ranveer Singh’s Hamza appears to run on autopilot, bearing no evidence of cognition or self-awareness of his deeds. The story, however, wraps the character of Hamza in humanity. Though he suffers no moral or ethical dilemma while killing off his enemies, his genuine emotions and feelings of love and grief in connection with his family and loved ones, mark him out to be a flesh-and-blood human. Singh’s ability to portray the whole spectrum of emotions expected of him in the film — ranging from anger, resentment, hatred and an all-consuming thirst for vengeance to the loyal, loving, tender and vulnerable shades of his character — once again validates his reputation as one of the finest actors of contemporary Indian cinema.
In a role that is perhaps more powerful and physically challenging than the prequel, Ranveer rises to the occasion and delivers a performance that will also be remembered for its rare, stoical exploration of the inner, private life a spy, besides highlighting the honour, glory, bluster and bravado usually associated with larger-than-life on-screen depictions of such characters. A striking feature of Ranveer’s look is the astonishing contrast of his physical transformation from a nondescript Punjabi youth to the strong, muscular, tough and strapping figure of Hamza. His versatile acting skills come to the fore yet again when he aces every emotion, expression and physical demand required by his character at that specific moment, most remarkable during and after his climactic showdown with Major Iqbal.
It is to Dhar’s credit that besides Hamza, the other characters in the film have also been portrayed in great detail and with a considerable degree of realism. Most worthy of mention in this regard is Major Iqbal (Arjun Rampal), an intelligence chief and a cold-blooded mastermind of acts of terror. A peep into his private life makes his character more well-rounded and believable, though it in no way makes his actions less condemnable.
Rakesh Bedi’s role in the plot as a shrewd but apparently bumbling politician is also made more strategic in the sequel, while R Madhavan’s Indian intelligence bureau head Ajay Sanyal’s scenes (particularly the one in the Dubai hotel where he is seen disposing off his cigarette stub in unique style) shows the importance given to research, authenticity and detail in this film.
A spy film with an epic scale and canvas and with a distinct patriotic edge, Dhurandhar The Revenge fits into its narrative the right of any sovereign country to defend its borders and resist manipulation of its social, economic and political conditions by external forces. It tries its best to avoid controversy and underlines the truth that India’s military and intelligence efforts are never targetted against the ordinary citizens of any enemy country but its networks of terror only.
Even with its 229 minutes of runtime, Dhar’s storytelling is neat and attempts to tie up all loose ends convincingly. In spite of the film’s show of brutality and violence, it ensures that the audience enjoys some lighthearted moments of laughter and entertainment, most frequently through the playing of old and familar Bollywood tunes at opportune moments. Dhar’s ability to spring surprises at the most unexpected moments provides the film with one of its most delightful elements. Weaving the film unobtrusively into the action of his debut film Uri: The Surgical Strike, he not only makes it a part of the Dhurandhar universe, but also has some fun at the expense of the audience, who completely missed spotting the Easter egg in both the Dhurandhar films, until it is revealed by a scene in the sequel very close to its end.