- Dhurandhar released on December 5, 2025, starring Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna
- Akshaye Khanna was praised as the film's MVP on social media after theatrical release
- Netflix viewers favoured Ranveer Singh's performance over Akshaye Khanna's in Dhurandhar
Two months ago, Aditya Dhar cast a spell named Dhurandhar whose hypnotic grip continues to dominate discussions on cinema, both online and elsewhere. And when this spy action thriller, fronted by Ranveer Singh, started streaming on Netflix last week, first-timers were ready to lap it up and fans were set for a rewatch.
The reaction to Dhurandhar on Netflix was poles apart from the feedback of those who watched it in theatres, both viewers who revisited the film online and those meeting the characters for the first time.
Who Ruled Dhurandhar? Akshaye Khanna Or Ranveer Singh
When Dhurandhar released on December 5, 2025, popular opinion on social media crowned Akshaye Khanna's Rehman Dakait the MVP of the film, nearly taking away the credit of shouldering the film from Ranveer Singh who plays the protagonist Hamza Ali Mazari, whose real name is Jaskirat Singh Rangi.
But the (perceived) reality did a 360 when the film arrived on Netflix. A large section of viewers saying Ranveer Singh "ate" the film while rubbishing opinion that claimed that Akshaye Khanna was the scene stealer in Dhurandhar.
Quality Of Dhurandhar Experience: Theatres Vs Netflix
Another big difference that has popped up is the quality of experience of watching the film in cinema halls and on Netflix. Those who had seen Dhurandhar in theatre and were looking forward to catching it again on streamer were massively disappointed.
While some rued about the poor colour grading, others were left feeling infantilised as they got to hear half-muted abuses.
There was a section of fans that claimed the streamer had heavily censored Dhurandhar for its digital premiere. It's important to note that a revised version of the film started playing in cinemas from January 1 after the makers were asked to mute allegedly offensive references to the Baloch community in Dhurandhar.
Filmmaker Shekhar Kapur, who couldn't watch Dhurandhar in theatres as he was in the UAE, had many good things to say about the film.
"Finally saw #Dhurandhar on Netflix. Terrific storytelling and very high level of performances even from minor roles. Director #AdityaDhar deserves all the praise he's getting. Congratulations producer #jyotideshpande and looking forward to #Dhurandhar2," he wrote on X after watching the film on Netflix.
When a user asked Shekhar Kapur about the OTT platform's "censorship" on the movie, the Mr India director said, "It did not feel censored except for swear words .. but it was obvious what the characters were saying."
Divided by fandom, quality issues or censorship troubles, the bottomline is Dhurandhar remains a buzzword despite being in the cinemas for two months. Fans can rewatch the film in theatres or Netflix as they wait for Dhurandhar: The Revenge, the sequel which arrives on March 19, 2026.
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