Dhurandhar Review: A 213 minute epic that stays interesting throughout
After missing the original Dhurandhar in theaters because I live in Idaho and they only show Indian films for two days tops, I was excited to find out it was on Netflix before going to see the sequel in theaters! While I got mixed signals coming into this film, some saying it was only glamorized ultra-right-wing propaganda and others saying it's a masterful action epic, I was really excited to see where I would land. Thanks for joining me, Brighton Nelson of The Reel Ranker, for today's review. I'm always honored to be your entertainment for the day!
As always, I'll address the negatives of the film and then move to the positives! My first negative is that it presents its mix of reality and fantasy in a very odd way. It states it's based solely on real events, then oddly intercuts real footage into the film later. It was, unfortunately, a little jarring and a blatant lie from the filmmakers. In a different film, that could've been one of the strongest creative decisions, yet it was just a complete misfire here. Another aspect I struggled to get behind was the romance, where it felt like Hamza was being too much of a predator. While age gaps are okay for consenting adults, it just felt completely wrong for me, especially amplified by the fact that I'm a 19-year-old myself. It was just an unnecessary choice, and the age gap adds literally nothing to the story. The last thought I had, while not completely negative, was just odd for me. Since Hamza is an Indian spy in the film, it felt rather disconnected from the events back home, aside from one televised scene. Yes, I'm literally recommending a longer runtime to flesh out India in a 3.5-hour movie. Sue me, I would've loved that. Though maybe Durandhar 2 will do this, so we shall see!
With how long my negative section is, you might think I didn't enjoy this film. Nope, not at all! It's just that a film this long warrants long discussion... Because I thoroughly enjoyed this film! The first aspect I have to note is the performances. Ranveer Singh does a fantastic job as an intense yet quieter lead protagonist who tries to do the right thing but consistently fails to know what's right. Akshaye Khanna does a great job as the antagonist, playing a multifaceted character in a quirky, charismatic way. The other performances were fantastic as well, adding layers to the film that keep it an interesting look into the dark side of Pakistan. My favorite supporting performance had to be Gaurav Gera's Mohammad Aalam, who plays the juice store owner. His presence was a big part of why I preferred the opening 45 minutes to the rest of the film!
Another brilliant aspect of the film was its very grounded, gritty, bloodily realistic action. I didn't find it too gratuitous, as some critics said, but, to be fair, I don't usually understand that complaint. The only part I can even see that being a point of discussion is when Rehman blows a dude's head to bits with an iron, but I thought that and the rest of the gore was quite cool and really well done, so maybe I'm just a masochistic son of a b**ch, but it is what it is. I also enjoyed the grounded, gritty, environmentally focused action rather than hyper-choreographed action. While I love both kinds of action, if the action were like RRR's or Star Wars's, it would've obviously felt very out of place in this story.
As a linguist, I loved the accurate portrayal of code-switching between Hindi/Urdu and English. While it was probably nothing interesting to the crew because, well, obviously that's how things work in India and Pakistan, I just loved to see it. I'm fascinated with how they blend languages so quickly and elegantly as somebody who studies language. Sometimes, I'll unknowingly start speaking in Spanish or French (both of which I've studied) to a peer or family member, and they'll just be tangibly confused that I do that. Still, it's really a real thing when you are learning different languages. I know it's hyper-specific praise for the film, but I am just glad they didn't shy away from doing this. Obviously, a lot of Indian films do this, but I thought this would be a good place to mention it since it's a pretty popular film and I don't want to copy-and-paste this paragraph into every review and sound like a freak.
However, all that praise is honestly small compared to this film's truest strength: it was over three-and-a-half hours long and a Part 1. Yet, it didn't feel dragged out, and it kept my attention throughout. Even as somebody who doesn't love straight action movies, nor do I think the plot was particularly interesting enough to make almost 8 hours of movie out of, the execution was so solid that it kept me hooked, contrary to my expectations for the film. This, above anything, is why I know this film is a special action epic that I will easily recommend: if I was intrigued and interested for 213 minutes, I can't help but say it's awesome.
The Reel Ranker Verdict
Reel or Unreel? - Reel
The Reel Ranker Score: 78%
Letter Score: A-
Star Ranking: 4 out of 5
Dhurandhar does not break much new ground for the action genre. Nonetheless, its intriguing political backdrop, epic action, and the fact that it has a 3.5-hour runtime and stays potent throughout make it an easy new hit genre film and an easy recommendation for an entry point into Indian cinema (for anyone willing to watch that long a film)!
Interested in checking out my Dhurandhar 2 review? Click the link below!
