19 March,2026 10:48 AM IST | Mumbai | Amarylisa Gonsalves
Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge review
Given the record-breaking streak at the box office and the buzz among the audience after Dhurandhar's explosive run, the stakes were high as everyone eagerly awaited March 19. To add to the excitement, the makers even unveiled paid previews starting a day prior. The day ascended, and Dhurandhar: The Revenge arrived, fuelled with 'Honsla, Eendhan, Badla.' Fans made their way to the cinema halls, adamant to watch the espionage thriller despite cancellations, delays and brawls. But was this sequel, headlined by Ranveer Singh and helmed by Aditya Dhar, worth it? Let's find out...
Dhurandhar: The Revenge picks up right from what you're in the cinemas for, Jaskirat Singh Rangi's backstory (and action too!). The film tells what led him to take the path he did and how, with Ajay Sanyal (R Madhavan) discovering and choosing the young boy from Punjab. The story then progresses to where the first part left off, Hamza Ali Mazari's rise to the ranks as 'Lyari ka Badshah' and eventually 'Sher-e-Baloch.' Intelligent and calculative, Hamza pits the gangs against gangs and individuals against individuals.
As he dodges suspicion and continues to gain trust and control, he is now a father, living in a glamorous villa with his wife, Yalina Jamali (Sara Arjun). He comes face-to-face with his past at one point, but Mohammad Aalam (Gaurav Gera), the juice centre guy, saves the day. He continues to slaughter and kill everyone who comes in his way, while the events of Prime Minister Narendra Modi swearing in his office (2014), the Uri attack (2016) and demonitisation (2016) unfold in the background, choking the Pakistani side.
Eventually, his cover is blown, but by now almost all of his targets are killed, except the menacing ISI chief Major Iqbal.
Ranveer Singh is undoubtedly the star of the film, who does not fail to keep you engaged. His character is ruthless, brutal and unforgiving, but also has a soft emotional side, which Ranveer perfectly balances at the right spots. Sanjay Dutt is unfiltered and savage as SP Chaudhary Aslam. Arjun Rampal masters his role as Major Iqbal, wanting you to hate him. Rakesh Bedi is a surprise package (for reasons better kept secret) with his silly yet humorous dialogues and his comedic character as Jameel Jamali.
R Madhavan delivers a strong performance as powerful and wise as Ajit Saniyal, too. Sara Arjun, as Yalina, has limited appearances in the sequel as compared to the predecessor, but performs well in parts she is expected to, playing Hamza's silent emotional anchor. The rest of the cast support the narrative well.
Yami Gautam has a cameo, which does not make a lot of difference to the story as rumors suggested earlier.
The performances make the four-hour-long runtime bearable. The twists here and there also keep you engaged, brownie points to Aditya Dhar's writing. You find yourself decoding a handful of Easter eggs connecting the two sequels.
The action is bang on. It is gory, bloodied, ruthless, explosive and not for the faint-hearted. Leave punches and kicks, expect some serious bloodshed and slaughter. The VFX does not fail to impress, bringing the right depth and effects in the right places.
The dialogues are smart, witty, and bring out the best in each character, especially Sanjay Dutt and Rakesh Bedi. But the climax takes the cake, something that 'Ladies and gentlemen, you're still not ready for this'!
A handful of things! Let's start with the 3 hours, 49 minutes, and 36 seconds runtime, which does get taxing despite the engaging story. The dragged pace adds to the runtime woes. Some portions manage to keep you hooked to the screens, like the last chapter, but one is easily disconnected in a lot of others.
The crossover/referencing to real-life political incidents feels forced and objective. Also, a couple of scenes remind you of Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal, making you wonder if Bollywood is still not over the Animal-syndrome.
Unfortunately, what was supposed to be the crème de la crème falters, the music! The tracks don't match up to the charm of the first part. The background music has been wasted, dampening the cinematic experience. Scenes which could have turned wow with the right BGM are left at just good. Random songs at random scenes need some serious explanation, too. The revival of old songs like Tamma Tamma and a couple of others feels out of place. Akshaye Khanna's FA9LA still reigns supreme.
As per the leaked censor certificate, the abuses had been muted. We wonder if they really were. While some abusive slurs have been muted, other obscene language stays clearly audible.
Aditya Dhar and Ranveer Singh deliver an absolute cinema with a few flaws that one can choose to overlook. Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge packs a punch with its action, performances, direction and twists. However, the pace, runtime, and BGM could do better.
Worth the hype? Could be for some, not for others. But Dhurandhar 2 is surely entertaining and definitely deserves a watch, irrespective for its entertainment value. It may or may not live up to your expectations, but it won't disappoint for sure.
