There are facts, then there are truths, and then there is Dhurandhar. In this era of rushed lives and short attention spans, it is rare to find a cinema that retains greater rewatching value than the first time. Also, in this post-COVID era of hypercritical social media scrutiny, where most filmmakers are still figuring out what is working in theatres, if one filmmaker decides to go for a three-hour, thirty-four-minute release, it shows nothing but the conviction of a filmmaker in his ideas, research, presentation, and a hold over the audience’s pulse.

‘Dhurandhar’ is the product of one such filmmaker, named Aditya Dhar, a filmmaker who has dared to challenge the stereotypes, break norms, take on the inertia of the Hindi cinema industry, and write, direct, and produce a cinema that is eternal in its impact. ‘Dhurandhar’ as a cinema is above par excellence. It is a prime example of how a cinema can become a visual spectacle if all those involved in the creative process share the director’s conviction and ideas.

To understand this further, I’ll dwell more on the brilliance of all the artists and the creativity on display, the attention to detail of the filmmakers, and the narratives that the cinema touches upon. So, let’s begin.

‘Dhurandhar’, the cinema as a spy thriller, beats its predecessors in the same genre by a mile. It focuses on displaying a close-to-reality portrayal of a spy’s life. The struggles, the tactics, the moral dilemmas, and the brute realities of making hard choices are all displayed without too much sugar-coating. It breaks away from the stereotypes of shoddily executed spy thrillers that find little resonance with reality. The authenticity of the cinema sets it apart. I can’t praise the director, Aditya Dhar, enough. The direction in this three-hour, thirty-four-minute spectacle is so brilliant that it allows no room for the audience to be distracted for even a second. The cinema is high-paced and sleek. The plot twists keep the audience on the edge of their seats. I won’t go into details of the writing, cinematography, production design, make-up, costume, and casting, as it has been appreciated millions of times till now. The best of words have already been spent and exhausted. Every frame is a master class for any cinema student. When we say world-class, then this is it.

But I can’t resist speaking about the actors. We have been grooving on the Flipperachi rap and gone crazy over every expression and move of Akshaye Khanna, praising him with tones of adjectives, but for me, the winner is Ranveer Singh, who has given his career-best performance after Padmaavat. His silence is also a brilliant performance. The way he has given space to Akshaye Khanna, despite being a current Superstar, is commendable. It has proved his commitment towards the role and his depth as an actor.

Words cannot suffice for the brilliance of his........

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