Dhurandhar 2 Review: Ranveer Singh Goes To Karachi, Gifts India A Blockbuster

The last time a film release felt like a festival in India was three years ago when Shah Rukh Khan was returning to the big screen with Pathaan. In 2026, it's the same with Dhurandhar 2, fronted by Ranveer Singh.

If Dhurandhar lit your fuse, Dhurandhar 2 will blow your mind with two times the fury, action, and violence. The second part of the Aditya Dhar directorial is an out-and-out Ranveer Singh show that brings pataakhe to Pakistan's terror network party and shreds it to pieces, figuratively and literally.

From the first frame, we are shown that this time it's the story of Jaskirat Singh Rangi that takes front and centre. We know why it's Dhurandhar: The Revenge. The year is 2002 and it is personal for Jaskirat.

Jaskirat, the 21-year-old young man from Pathankot who was training to become a third generation Indian Army officer from his family, goes off the rails after his father is killed and sisters are gangraped over a petty land dispute.

He is put on a death row but is abducted by R Madhavan's Ajay Sanyal and his trusted aide Sushant Bansal (Manav Gohil) to be inducted as part of Operation Dhurandhar. After some quid pro quo, Jaskirat accepts the offer, and over the years, transforms into Hamza Ali Mazari.

Ajay Sanyal asks Jaskirat if he knows the meaning of his new name, he does. It means 'sher', Ajay Sanyal says 'babbar sher', his nickname for his prized asset. Ranveer Singh looks the part and delivers a lion-like majestic acting masterclass as a growling Hamza takes down Pakistan's terror network in Karachi and across the country, one terrorist after another.

If one has to sum up the actor's performance in the Dhurandhar franchise in one word, it is range. If he makes you feel empathy for his character in an emotional scene, he makes you squirm in your seat when he is hacking the hell out of his adversaries.

If he is tender with his family, he is insanely brutal with the terror mongers he has pledged to eliminate. In a key (almost Biblical) scene, Ranveer Singh laughs maniacally as Hamza who is chained and wounded, his long hair dishevelled. It is one of the most gooseflesh-raising scenes delivered by the actor.

Dhurandhar 2 also pretty much answers all those questions that every Dhurandhar fan had, and most of those answers come as a great pay-off. The film, however, does not end on a crescendo like the first part did and that's the feeling that is missed.

The blurring of the reel and real continues in Dhurandhar 2 and like part one, take it with a pinch of salt and enjoy the flourish of "What if were true?" If Hamza handed over a gun to Ajmal Kasab before the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in Dhurandhar, he meets many Pakistani politicians and terrorists: alive, dead and 'in hiding' in part two. We finally get to know who Bade Sahab is and his introduction is a highlight which will go viral this way or that way.

Besides terror funding and fake currency racket through Atif Ahmed (based on UP gangster Atiq Ahmed) and Yakub Ansari via Nepal, Dhurandhar 2 also makes commentary on the drug menace in Punjab and pro-Khalistani forces in India that are allegedly in cahoots with Pakistan to destroy India from within.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Ranveer Singh (@ranveersingh)

Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- referred to as 'Chaiwala' in a key scene -- too has an extended cameo in the film. Demonetisation, Uri attack, the following surgical strike, and the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid conflict are key plot points too.

What Akshaye Khanna's Rehman Dakait was to Dhurandhar, Arjun Rampal's Major Iqbal is to Dhurandhar 2. But Akshaye Khanna is sorely missed. We do see him in the film. How much? That viewers will find out once they catch the show. Also, how they managed to find an actor who is a spitting image of Nawaz Sharif is mindboggling.

We don't know if it's Aditya Dhar's 'peak detailing' or a coincidence, but where there is Arjun Rampal, there is a chandelier and, of course, fire. IYKYK. And, the actor delivers the goods as the menacing, vile, and India-hating Major Iqbal.

Sanjay Dutt as SP Chaudhary Aslam has more of an extended guest appearance than a full-fledged role. And no one, no one owns the screen like Sanjay Dutt. His daredevil character enters in style in Dhurandhar to Hawa Hawa and exits Dhurandhar 2 to one of the actor's all-time hits.

Not just Jaskirat/Hamza, Madhavan's Ajay Sanyal also gets his revenge - multifold. Madhavan gets to play the dual role of the 'Charioteer of Karma' and the 'Godfather' who pulls the strings from behind the curtains, and watches as Pakistan is razed to the ground. He is one of those dependable performers who doesn't miss a beat.  

Sara Arjun gets to play a fuller arc this time as Yalina even though her screen time is limited. Her eyes speak volumes no matter what the scene's tone is. Gaurav Gera's Aalam Bhai is a star in his own right and we finally get to know where he comes from in a pivotal scene, a question that remained unanswered in Dhurandhar in Butt sahab's tea shop. Rakesh Bedi is a delight to watch on screen. Full stop. 

Danish Pandor as Uzair Baloch is effective and fits the narrative just as intended by Aditya Dhar. Also, there was a reason why the trailer of Dhurandhar 2 started with Kandahar hijacker Zahoor Mistry's "Hindu badi hee darpok qaum hai" dialogue. You'll find out why.

In terms of music, Hamza gets his own FA9LA moment and just like that, 90s sensation, Algerian singer Khaled comes back in currency with his Arabic chartbuster Didi.

Dhurandhar 2 is musically more diverse than part one: it has a recreation of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's qawwali Dil Pe Zakham Khate Hain, Kishore Kumar's Kabhi Bekasi Ne Maara from Alag Alag, and Boney M's Rasputin, among several other gems across decades.

Yes, Yami Gautam is very much a part of Dhurandhar 2. In fact, there is a Haq connect in the film. We may or may never find out that she was the same RAW agent Pallavi Sharma from Uri: The Surgical Strike. In Dhurandhar 2, we'll find another Uri: The Surgical Strike connection. Spoiler: It's not Vicky Kaushal, but the reveal is pretty epic.

Dhurandhar 2 must be watched for all the answers you are seeking from the first film and for Ranveer Singh.

Also Read | Aditya Dhar Posts A Dhurandhar 2 Spoiler Before Release, With A Wink