Starring
The story
"Dhurandhar" is a Hindi-language spy-action thriller that drops its hero deep behind enemy lines. Ranveer Singh plays an undercover Indian intelligence operative who sheds his real identity to burrow into the gang-ridden Lyari district of Karachi, working his way up through criminal syndicates and political power structures to dismantle a terror pipeline aimed at India. The narrative unspools across roughly two decades, beginning in 1999, and is told in eight titled chapters with names like "The Bastard King of Lyari" and "Et tu Brutus."
Writer-director Aditya Dhar threads real geopolitical history through the fiction — the 1999 IC-814 hijacking, the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai attacks and Pakistan's real Lyari gang wars all echo through the plot. Several characters are loosely modelled on real figures, from Karachi crime bosses to India's security establishment. It is worth flagging up front that the film is only Part One: it was conceived as a single story and split in two, with the saga continuing in a 2026 follow-up.
The makers and the cast
The film marked the long-awaited return of Aditya Dhar, whose 2019 debut "Uri: The Surgical Strike" was a patriotic blockbuster that won him a National Film Award for direction. "Dhurandhar" was mounted on a large scale — reportedly around ₹250 crore for both parts combined — and produced by Jio Studios together with Dhar's own B62 Studios, with Jyoti Deshpande and Lokesh Dhar among the producers. Shooting stretched from mid-2024 across Punjab, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chandigarh and Thailand.
Around Ranveer Singh, Dhar assembled a heavyweight ensemble. Akshaye Khanna is the magnetic Lyari kingpin Rehman Dakait, Sanjay Dutt plays a police officer, R. Madhavan appears as an Intelligence Bureau chief, and Arjun Rampal turns up as an ISI operative; former child actress Sara Arjun takes one of her first grown-up leading roles. At about three and a half hours (214 minutes) and carrying an adults-only "A" certificate for its violence, it is one of the longest mainstream Hindi releases in recent memory.
Music
Composer Shashwat Sachdev scored the film, reuniting with Aditya Dhar after their work together on "Uri." Released through Saregama, the soundtrack leans on a high-octane title track — featuring rapper Hanumankind and singer Jasmine Sandlas — alongside a recreated qawwali, "Ishq Jalakar (Karvaan)," and the track "Gehra Hua." Even among reviewers who found fault with the film's length, Sachdev's thundering background score and the album drew consistent praise as one of the picture's biggest strengths.
Box office
"Dhurandhar" opened only moderately in December 2025 but became a genuine word-of-mouth phenomenon, with the rare feat of a second weekend bigger than its first. It sprinted past the ₹1,000-crore mark in roughly three weeks and finished with about ₹1,056 crore from India and ₹293 crore overseas, for a worldwide gross of around ₹1,350 crore.
That made it the highest-grossing Indian film of 2025 and one of the highest-grossing Hindi films of all time — widely reported as the third-highest ever, behind "Dangal," which still holds the top spot. It also became the highest-grossing A-certified Indian film in history. The run came despite a ban in the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, which distributors estimated cost the film tens of crores in lost earnings.
Reception and legacy
Critically the film split the room. Reviewers cheered its ambition, action set-pieces, production design and the ensemble — Ranveer Singh's intense central turn and Akshaye Khanna's scene-stealing villain were singled out — while others pushed back on the marathon runtime and on how heavily it blurs fact, fiction and nationalist messaging. Commercially, however, there was no argument: the film reset expectations for the spy-thriller genre in Hindi cinema.
For Ranveer Singh, the hit arrived after a run of underperformers and was treated as a career revival. Netflix acquired the streaming rights (reported at around ₹85 crore) and the film began streaming in late January 2026, while the story continued on the big screen with the sequel "Dhurandhar: The Revenge" in March 2026 — the two halves together forming an eight-hour saga.
Key details
| Release year | 2025 |
|---|---|
| Language | Hindi |
| Director | Aditya Dhar |
| Genre | Spy Action |
| Starring | Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan |
Did you know?
- It is only the second feature directed by Aditya Dhar, following the 2019 blockbuster "Uri: The Surgical Strike" — and he reunited with "Uri" composer Shashwat Sachdev for the score.
- The project was conceived as one film and split into two; both parts were shot back-to-back, with the continuation, "Dhurandhar: The Revenge," arriving in March 2026.
- At roughly 214 minutes (about three and a half hours) with an adults-only "A" certificate, it became the highest-grossing A-certified Indian film ever made.
- The screenplay unfolds in eight titled chapters, with names such as "The Bastard King of Lyari," "The Jinn" and "Et tu Brutus."
- Its characters draw loosely on real Karachi gang-war figures like Rehman Dakait and Uzair Baloch, while the Intelligence Bureau chief evokes India's real-life security veteran Ajit Doval.
- Netflix reportedly paid around ₹85 crore for the streaming rights, and the film began streaming in late January 2026, only weeks after its theatrical release.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dhurandhar based on a true story?
It is not a straight biopic, but it is heavily inspired by real events and people. The plot weaves in the 1999 IC-814 hijacking, the 2001 Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai attacks and Pakistan's Lyari gang wars, and several characters are loosely modelled on real Karachi crime figures and Indian intelligence officials. The espionage operation at its centre, however, is a dramatised fiction.
Who is in the cast of Dhurandhar and who does Ranveer Singh play?
Ranveer Singh headlines as an undercover Indian intelligence agent who infiltrates Karachi's criminal underworld. He is joined by Akshaye Khanna as a Lyari gang leader, Sanjay Dutt as a police officer, R. Madhavan as an Intelligence Bureau chief, Arjun Rampal as an ISI operative, and Sara Arjun in a leading role.
Is there a Dhurandhar 2 or sequel?
Yes. The 2025 film is the first half of a two-part story that was shot as a single production. The continuation, titled "Dhurandhar: The Revenge," released in March 2026, and the first film's post-credits scene sets it up.
How much did Dhurandhar earn at the box office?
The film grossed roughly ₹1,350 crore worldwide — about ₹1,056 crore from India and ₹293 crore from overseas. That made it the highest-grossing Indian film of 2025 and one of the highest-grossing Hindi films of all time; most trade sources rank it third, behind "Dangal," rather than the outright number one.
Where can I watch Dhurandhar and is it on Netflix?
After its theatrical run, the film moved to Netflix, which reportedly acquired the streaming rights for around ₹85 crore. It began streaming in late January 2026, roughly eight weeks after hitting cinemas on 5 December 2025.
Why is Dhurandhar rated A and how long is it?
It carries an adults-only "A" certificate in India because of its strong violence and mature content. The theatrical cut runs about three and a half hours (roughly 214 minutes), making it one of the longest mainstream Hindi films in recent years.
Reference: Wikipedia
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