Aditya Dhar returns to the big screen with Dhurandhar, and for once, the phrase "event film" doesn't feel like PR overkill. Set in the brutal maze of Karachi's Lyari underbelly and India–Pakistan covert gamesmanship, this 3-hour-32-minute spy saga is big, loud, unapologetically political — and, for the most part, utterly gripping. 
The film & performances
Ranveer Singh slips into this world as if he's been waiting for a part like this — a surprisingly controlled, simmering performance instead of his usual flamboyance. Several reviews have already highlighted how his "subdued yet scorching" turn holds the film together, and that's exactly right: Dhar keeps him on a slow burn, letting the explosions happen around him. 
The real secret weapon, though, is Akshaye Khanna. As the cold, coiled presence circling the Karachi mafia–intelligence nexus, he delivers the kind of performance fellow directors are calling a "masterclass" — and you can see why. He underplays in a film that often goes for operatic excess, and that contrast is thrilling to watch. Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan and Arjun Rampal round out the ensemble with solid, lived-in turns, giving Dhurandhar the texture of a true multi-starrer rather than cameo tourism. 
Dhar's craft remains top-notch. The Karachi of Dhurandhar — recreated across Thailand, Punjab and Ladakh — feels grimy, layered and lived-in. The chapter-style narrative, heavy on atmospherics and long, muscular set-pieces, creates the immersive "spy universe" a few early reviews have celebrated. When the film is in full flow — guns blazing on a rain-slick street, a tense exchange in a Lyari bylane, or a quiet, morally ambiguous briefing room — it is proper big-screen cinema. 
Yes, the runtime is a beast. Several critics have complained about the length and relentless intensity, and those concerns aren't misplaced. The second half could easily lose 20 minutes without denting the emotional impact. But Dhar's command over mood and momentum means the film rarely feels like it's collapsing under its own weight — it's dense rather than bloated.
The politics & the criticism
Dhurandhar isn't shy about its politics: covert Indian operations in Pakistan, a muscular national-security lens, and a narrative that often frames violence as a necessary instrument of the state. Some reviewers have already pushed back sharply, accusing the film of bigotry and gaslighting the audience into accepting a one-sided worldview. 
That debate is inevitable — and, frankly, healthy. But even if you disagree with the film's ideological tilt, there's no denying Dhar is fully in control of the world he's building. The moral grey zones, double-crosses and personal costs of espionage are all there; they're just wrapped in the grammar of a swaggering commercial thriller rather than an art-house meditation.
Aditya Raj Kaul: the journalist in the credits
One of the most intriguing names in the opening credits is that of journalist Aditya Raj Kaul, billed as Research Consultant – Dhurandhar. Known primarily as a senior editor and Af-Pak/Kashmir specialist, Kaul has spent years reporting on terrorism, Pakistan's deep state and the IC-814 hijacking saga—work he's written and spoken about extensively. 
You can feel that reportage-level detailing in the film's world-building: the granular map of Lyari's gang-politics nexus, the texture of Karachi safe houses, the bureaucratic language of back-channel deals, even the way intelligence briefings are staged. In recent posts, Kaul has described how a casual conversation with Dhar about his IC-814 investigation and a Karachi-based hijacker eventually evolved into this collaboration as research consultant on "The Unknown Man" at the heart of Dhurandhar's story. That marriage of newsroom rigor and cinematic flair is precisely what lifts the film above generic "India vs Pakistan" thrillers.
What the audience is saying
Across India, viewers are emerging from theatres with that old-school post-thriller buzz.
Arjun Mehta (Mumbai): "Bhai, Ranveer like this? Total paisa-vasool. Not one dull second."
Rashmi Kulkarni (Pune): "It's long, but the detailing is insane. You don't want to look away."
Sameer Wadhawan (Delhi): "This is Uri with a darker heart. Slammed right into my bloodstream."
Verdict : ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐/5
Dhurandhar is big, bold and proudly political — a spy thriller built with scale, intent and uncommon research depth. Trim 20 minutes and this could be a modern classic. Even as is, it stands tall at 4 out of 5 stars — a thunderous reminder of what Indian action cinema can be when ambition meets authenticity.
