It was on a chilly cold December Afternoon that after a long time, I had the good pleasure of watching a film in a theater with my family members. Dhurandhar, directed by Aditya Dhar, a gritty tale of blood and gore, is a very good cinematic experience. In juxtaposing the elements of casual violence ala Inglorious Basterds and an engaging appeal of Dark comedy ala The Death of Stalin, the film carves a niche, one of it’s kind. It is raw, intense and gripping, drifting at it’s own pace, yet lets you soak in the blood thirsty streets of Lyari, and for once, the characters do not appear as mere caricatures hurriedly fitted into the binary of good and bad.
A caution though - the violence is graphic and disturbing at times, yet it relegates to the background, highlighting the nuanced performances of the cast. The Director steers clearly of the temptation of giving fiction a bigger hand vis a vis reality, over dramatization of events and an inherent quest for good nature and peace. The Plane Hijack at the turn of the Millennium, the Parliament Attack, the 26/11 are all facts and events that scarred the collective psyche of our nation, and continue to haunt us. Of course, a film is a poor substitute for Geopolitics at play, but nevertheless, in an era of waning attention spans, not a single moment is dull in this three and half an hour epic.
Ranveer Singh dished out his best as yet, and Akshayee Khanna stole the show with a stellar, subdued act. The ensemble cast of Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, Sara Arjun, Saumya Tandon et al did more than enough justice to their respective roles, and the music offered a poignant yet rousing spectacle.
The end of Dhurandhar had me humming, "ना तो कारवां की तलाश है, ना तो हमसफ़र की तलाश है", and it would be the same experience for anyone.
On the film "Dhurandhar"
