By ALOK JOSHI
Every story-teller like me would love an engaging and powerful story telling experience through a film like “Dhurandhar”. The overall cinematic quality of the movie is simply brilliant. I accidentally walked into the theatre and enjoyed it fully without realising that it is a rather long movie of almost 3.5 hours. However, there was not a single dull moment that could snatch away my attention.
This espionage thriller is well researched, coherent and a great blend of real events and fiction. I have listened to some Pakistanis who lived in Nyari during the same period and found the events and characters as real.
At a broader level, the film reminds us as Indians of the repeated brutal attacks on our democracy by a cartel of politicians, bureaucrats, businessmen and terrorists. Imagine the plight of families who lost their loved ones at the mercy of some trigger-happy misguided youth! One particular dialogue in the movie, “Hindustan ka sabse bada dushman Hindustan hai, uske baad Pakistan”, should remind and shake every patriotic Indian out of deep slumber.
The movie truly belongs to Aditya Dhar who conceptualised, created and put everything together so boldly to give us an unforgettable value-for-money thriller. It gives a silent message to every Indian to rise above narrow differences and protect the nation from enemies within and outside our territory.
A lot of people, particularly the younger generation might be wondering about the meaning of “Dhurandhar”. It literally means an expert, a stalwart or someone who bears heavy responsibility. In my view, it refers to “Operation Dhurandhar”, a mission by Indian intelligence agencies to dismantle terrorist links that tried and continue to try to destabilise our country. It is about an Indian spy who is deployed to infiltrate into Lyari gangs. Anupam Kher shared a trivia that the title” Dhurandhar” was suggested by his friend, actor late Satish Kaushik, whose name also figures in the credits of the movie. I also found a strange, perhaps unintended coincidence in the title. The last four words of the title “Dhar” (Dhurandhar) happen to be the surname of Aditya Dhar, the writer producer-director of the film.
As for performances, everyone is raving about Akshaye Khanna’s stellar performance and rightly so. He is one of the most under rated actors in Bollywood. But I was hugely impressed by Ranvir Singh’s performance. He is simply brilliant with his controlled and restrained acting, much contrary to his popular persona as a high-voltage actor.
“Ghayal hoon isi liye ghatak hoon” sums up his performance. Other actors who impressed were R. Madhavan, Rakesh Bedi and Gaurav Khera. Sanjay Dutt and Arjun Rampal did a great job in their respective roles.
High-octane, adrenaline-fueled action sequences, inventive chases and a gripping narrative hooks the audience throughout the movie. Silence is the core of the movie that supplements the amazing music. One will notice the silent expressions of characters like Ranvir Singh, Akshaye Khanna and R. Madhavan throughout the story.
The movie has already joined the Rs 1000-crore club. If you enjoy large-scale action, spy thrillers, don’t mind hard-core violence, a bit longer than usual duration and some coarse language, it is a must-watch movie. Also be prepared for a long, intense and emotionally taxing experience.
(Alok Joshi is a Dehradun based Management Advisor, Corporate Trainer, Image Consultant, Motivational Speaker, author of three books and freelance writer. He has worked in high positions in many companies across many countries.)
