Dhurandhar: The Revenge

Dhurandhar: The Revenge (2026) is the highly anticipated Hindi-language sequel to Aditya Dhar’s 2025 blockbuster Dhurandhar. Officially slated for release on 19 March 2026, this spy-action thriller was shot concurrently with its predecessor, with principal photography beginning in July 2024 and wrapping by late 2025. The film is produced by Jio Studios and B62 Studios, directed and co-written by Aditya Dhar, with Ranveer Singh returning as RAW agent Hamza Ali Mazari, joined by Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, R. Madhavan, Sara Arjun, and Rakesh Bedi. Budget and exact box-office targets remain unspecified, though reports note the first film grossed over ₹1,000 crore.

Critics’ reviews are mixed-to-positive. Renowned outlets note epic scale and stellar performances, particularly praising Ranveer Singh’s “most powerful performance so far”, the ambitious direction, cinematography and action sequences. However, many criticize its excessive runtime (229 mins), pacing issues and overtly jingoistic tone. Audience sentiment on social media and BookMyShow is overwhelmingly positive (BookMyShow score ~9.4/10), with many calling it a “masterpiece” and applauding the direction and acting. Still, some note the heavy violence and politically charged messaging as drawbacks.

Thematically, the film doubles down on the original’s high-octane action and nationalist fervor. Recurrent praise centers on its direction, Ranveer’s performance, and technical craft (choreography, cinematography). Critiques focus on overstuffed screenplay, extreme violence, and a second half that drags. Compared to Part I (a tighter 214-min feature), The Revenge expands storylines (flashbacks, subplots) but also its runtime and spectacle. We compare key attributes of Dhurandhar (2025) and The Revenge (2026) — and a similar action epic — in the table below.

The film faced several pre-release issues: Censorship: the CBFC cut ~34 seconds of extreme violence and mandated an adult certificate. Production controversies: shooting permits and safety violations (drone FIR, BMC blacklisting) drew negative attention. Spoiler disputes: pre-release “fan reviews” circulated on social media, some deemed fake. Despite these, buzz remains high, and Dhurandhar 2 broke advance-booking records (₹47.90Cr previews; ₹52.75Cr Day 1 net).

Below: the official poster and a box-office trend chart (Part I’s first-week collections). A timeline of key milestones follows, and the report concludes with our verdict and audience recommendation.

Figure: Official poster of Dhurandhar: The Revenge (2026), highlighting the film’s intense tone (source: official key art).

Official Details

• Title: Dhurandhar: The Revenge (sequel to Dhurandhar).
• Release Date: 19 March 2026 (India & worldwide).
• Language: Hindi (dubbed releases in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam).
• Country: India.
• Production Companies: Jio Studios, B62 Studios. Producers: Jyoti Deshpande, Aditya Dhar, Lokesh Dhar.
• Director: Aditya Dhar (also co-writer of story & screenplay).
• Writers: Aditya Dhar (story & screenplay), additional screenplay by Shivkumar V. Panicker and Ojas Gautam.
• Cast: Ranveer Singh (Hamza Ali Mazari/Jaskirat Rangi), R. Madhavan (Ajay Sanyal), Sanjay Dutt (SP Chaudhary Aslam), Arjun Rampal (Major Iqbal), Sara Arjun (Yalina Jamali), Rakesh Bedi (Jameel Jamali), Danish Pandor (Uzair Baloch), Saumya Tandon (Ulfat), among others.
• Runtime: 229 minutes (3h49m).
• Certifications: CBFC rated ‘A’ (adult) after 21 required cuts (mostly violent content).
• Budget: Not officially disclosed (reports suggest a combined ₹250–475 Cr for both parts, but specifics for Part 2 are unspecified).
• Box Office (Pre-release): Strong advance bookings. Paid previews (18 Mar) ~₹47.90 Cr gross; Day 1 bookings ~₹52.35 Cr gross (₹44.00 Cr net) (previews). (Full collections TBD, but early trend suggests a record opening.)
• Technical Credits: Cinematography by Vikash Nowlakha (also editor Shivkumar V. Panicker); Music by Shashwat Sachdev; Action Choreography by Aejaz Gulab et al..

These details are confirmed by production announcements and trade reports.

Critic Reviews Summary

Reviews from major outlets are mixed. Many praise the film’s ambition and performances, but fault its length and tone. Key points from critics:

• Action & Scale: Bollywood Hungama (4.5/5) raved that it “lives up to its colossal hype,” calling it a “thoroughly entertaining and satisfying cinematic ride” with “first-rate” performances and “twists and turns [that] catch you off guard”. India Today similarly notes Dhar’s aggressive storytelling and the film’s “fearless, excessive” style.

• Performances: Ranveer Singh is widely lauded. India Today declares Singh “extraordinary,” giving “his most powerful performance so far”. Bollywood Hungama agrees: he “shines,” delivering “the finest act of his career”. Supporting actors (Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, R. Madhavan, Rakesh Bedi, Sara Arjun) also draw praise. Even critics who disliked the film’s excess commend Ranveer and Sara Arjun’s emotional scenes.

• Direction & Screenplay: Aditya Dhar’s direction is acknowledged as bold and cinematic. BH calls his direction “splendid” and admires the flashback structure. India Today notes the film’s political depth and narrative confidence. However, Renuka Vyavahare (TOI, 3/5) finds the story overstuffed, feeling the “riveting” first half gives way to a second half that “struggles under the weight” of its own scale. Shubhra Gupta (Indian Express, 2/5) similarly calls it an “overstretched, repetitive” 4-hour “marathon” lacking the original’s fun.

• Pacing & Tone: Critics agree the film is bloody and nationalistic. IE criticizes the unrelenting gore and “jab them with spurting blood, broken bones” scenes, calling the messaging “soaked in jingoism” (note: GHIC). TOI notes “jingoistic” elements (e.g. demonetisation as a plot point). Conversely, some find the intense tone deliberate and effective (India Today says it “wears its politics” plainly and remains engaging). The consensus is that the violent/propagandistic tone won’t be for all viewers.

• Technical Merits: Cinematography (Vikash Nowlakha) and action are highly praised. BookMyShow users echo this, calling it “top notch”. The music score gets mixed mentions (BH: good but not “legendary” as Part 1; India Today likes the nostalgic song inserts). Sound/mixing had some critiques (TOI found the background score off-tempo). Overall production design and VFX are seen as solid.

• Summary of Critic Opinions: In sum, critics describe The Revenge as visually dazzling but narratively uneven. It is a relentless actioner that thrills in bursts (opening chapters and finale action get particular praise) but suffers from an overlong second half and ideological heavy-handedness. Ratings range from about 2/5 (Indian Express) to 4.5/5 (Bollywood Hungama). Representative quotes: “A relentless action extravaganza teetering on excess”, and on the flip side “a long yet thoroughly entertaining and satisfying cinematic ride”.

These reviews (From The Times of India, Indian Express, Bollywood Hungama, India Today etc.) form the basis of our analysis.

Audience Reception

Box Office: Early indicators show record interest. Paid previews earned ₹47.90 Cr (India gross). Advance bookings report ~₹52.35 Cr net for Day 1. Opening weekend pre-sales reportedly exceed ₹200 Cr (all languages, worldwide). Expected Trend: If it holds, it could break domestic opening records. (For reference, Part I collected ₹28Cr on Day 1 and ₹207.3Cr in Week 1 — see chart below.)

Figure: Box-office trend (India, net) for Dhurandhar (2025) – its release week collections (crores). Dhurandhar opened at ₹28Cr and peaked at ₹43Cr on Day 3, grossing ₹207Cr in Week 1. (Comparable trends for The Revenge will follow its release.)

Ratings & Reviews: On BookMyShow (India’s ticketing platform), The Revenge has a user rating of ~9.4/10 (13.5K+ votes). Top hashtags in reviews include #SuperDirection, #Blockbuster, #GreatActing, #AwesomeStory. Representative user comments (BookMyShow) are overwhelmingly positive: e.g., “Absolute piece of CINEMA!!” (10/10), “Nail… a must watch movie”, and even “greatest movie of all time ❤️”. Users particularly praise Ranveer’s performance and cinematography, though a few caution the violence (“too much violence”).

Social Media: Reactions on X (Twitter) and other platforms mirror this enthusiasm. Times of India reports the film “is receiving acclaim not only in India but also abroad”. Sample fan tweets: “Dhurandhar 2 is mind boggling good! Its grandeur and majestic scale makes part 1 look puny! Climax and end twist are out of this world!!!” and “I’m damn sure not a single person will feel bored for even a second while watching Dhurandhar: The Revenge.”. These reflect typical viewer praise of the film’s spectacle and pacing.

Dissenting Audiences: A minority voice finds it overlong or gratuitously violent. On Reddit and other forums, some fans noted the extreme gore (“I personally don’t enjoy so much violence…”) and mixed feelings about the political messaging. But these views are far fewer compared to the positive buzz.

Regional Platforms: Similar exuberant reception is seen on Indian social media platforms (Facebook, YouTube) and aggregator sites, though language-specific sites (e.g. Bengali forums) have less coverage given the film’s Hindi origin. Importantly, no Tamil/Telugu reviews are yet available, but pre-release buzz suggests Pan-India interest.

In summary, audiences are highly enthusiastic, highlighting the thrilling direction and acting. Early indicators (sales, social media sentiment) suggest The Revenge is meeting blockbuster expectations.

Thematic Analysis

Across critics and audiences, common themes emerge in praise and criticism:

• Action & Direction: Virtually all agree on the adrenaline-fueled action. Set pieces (street shootouts, car chases, hand-to-hand combat) are noted as “breathtaking,” with choreographer Aejaz Gulab’s sequences “gorier than the first part”. The opening chapter and finale are especially lauded as “smashing” and “madness” that pay off. Dhar’s direction is called “splendid”, showing confidence in scale. However, some critics (TOI) warn the action can feel repetitive, and a few CGI-enhanced scenes (e.g. highway fight) received mixed reactions for realism.

• Performances: Ranveer Singh anchors the film. His transformation from quiet soldier to fierce spy (“Jaskirat to Hamza”) is the emotional core. Critics say he “takes ownership” and shows “soul-wrenching” emotion. Supporting cast are recognized when given screen time: Rampal’s menacing Major Iqbal stands out in father-son scenes; Dutt’s older cop is steady; R. Madhavan delivers reliably; child actress Sara Arjun is called “the soul of the film” despite less screen time. Audiences echo this, with #GreatActing trending on BMS. Only one or two reviews felt characters were underwritten (IE noted a lack of engaging female roles beyond Yalina).

• Screenplay & Pacing: The story covers multiple timelines and locales (Punjab, Mumbai, Karachi) through chapters. Positive reviews say Dhar keeps it “captivating from start to finish”, but most note the runtime (nearly 4 hours) tests attention. The first 90 minutes (especially Hamza’s backstory) are generally termed “riveting”; the intermission point (a major revelation) is praised. After that, sentiment diverges: some find the later chapters full of “thrills, twists and turns”, while others say momentum flags and scenes feel “stretch[ed]”. Repetition (e.g. killing cyphers) and filler (political speech, demonetisation reference) drew critique. Sound edits (some muted swear words) were also noted as breaking immersion.

• Music & Sound: The soundtrack and background score earn moderate praise. Shashwat Sachdev’s music is called “charming” if less iconic than Part I. Highlight tracks like “Aari Aari” are noted. Sound design got some flak: TOI found certain effects (explosions, gunfire) unusually loud or off-balance, but India Today praises the mix as sustaining the film’s pulse. The consensus is that sound supports the film but doesn’t break new ground.

• Cinematography & VFX: Critically praised. Vikash Nowlakha’s lensing (night cityscapes, landscapes) is “breathtaking”. Many scenes (the Lyari slums, Karachi skyline) look convincing. Visual effects (gunfire, blood spurts) are graphic; BH calls them “appropriate” and viewers on BMS called the camerawork “top notch”. There is a slight mix: a few noted CGI gaps (e.g. crowd scenes), but mostly VFX serve the gritty aesthetic.

• Themes & Tone: The film unabashedly foregrounds patriotism, terrorism and espionage. Critics note it “speaks of a ‘new India’,” with clear ideological markers (namely, extremist villains vs. idealistic Indians). Praise comes from those who accept this as part of the spectacle (India Today: it “never loses control” despite strong messaging). Critics on the other hand see it as propaganda-like, with “hyper nationalism” and one-sided political commentary (Indian Express used the word “slog” for its right-wing fervor). Both agree violence is very extreme – graphic head-smashing and beheadings (hence CBFC cuts). This intensifies the film’s adrenaline rush for some, but for others it crosses a line of taste.

• Cultural Context: The film references real events (demonetisation, Babri verdict). Vineeta Kumar (India Today) lauds Dhar’s “informed” approach, saying “he knows exactly the moment the country is in”. Reviewers note that locals (Indian audiences) might find these references empowering or timely, whereas some viewers feel it verges into Bollywood-messaging territory. The film is clearly calibrated for Indian audiences’ sensibilities – something audiences have largely affirmed.

In sum, positives: powerhouse acting (Ranveer, others), visually slick action, emotional resonance in key scenes, and unabashed epic scale. Negatives: bloated length, a sense of gratuitous gore, and heavy-handed political propaganda. These themes recur across sources.

Comparative Context

Sequel vs Original: The chart above (Box Office trend) shows Dhurandhar (2025) had a strong opening (₹28Cr Day1) and cumulatively ₹207.3Cr in Week1. The Revenge has already surpassed that initial Day1 (₹44Cr previews + ~₹52Cr Day1 net). Critics note the sequel is louder and longer; original reviews praised Dhurandhar’s novel world-building, while noting similar overacting. (Both parts share director and leads, so tone and style are consistent.)

Comparison to Similar Films: Below is a table comparing Dhurandhar films to other recent big Indian action/revenge spectacles (table columns: Tone, Box Office, Critic Score, Audience Score, Standouts):

Table: Key attributes of Dhurandhar series vs. similar Indian action epics (Sources: Sacnilk/Box OfficeIndia for collections, TOI/Filmfare/IMDB for scores, and trade reviews for standout notes).

Controversies & Production Issues

Several noteworthy issues arose pre-release:

• Censorship: As noted, the CBFC demanded 21 cuts (34 seconds) for gore, and muted profanities. The film was granted an ‘A’ certificate. Disclaimers (drugs, violence) were added. This caused minor delays and was reported by trade press.

• BMC Blacklisting: In February 2026 the Mumbai civic body permanently blacklisted B62 Studios (the production company) citing “repeated violations” of shooting protocols. It fined ₹1 lakh for unauthorized rooftop shooting and unauthorized generators. This was covered by Hollywood Reporter India, highlighting security lapses.

• Drone FIR: On-set in early Feb, Mumbai Police filed a FIR against a location manager for flying a drone without permission in the high-security Fort area. This stopped a night shoot and made headlines.

• “Fake Reviews” Scandal: Prior to release, unauthorized reviews appeared on social media, claiming the film was “the Baahubali2 of this era” etc.. Fans quickly called them fake, noting no official screenings had occurred. This was reported by Times of India. The hype trains have since focused on paid previews reactions instead.

• Cast/Crew Issues: (Minor) A lifestyle magazine noted Yami Gautam’s cameo (filmed Feb 2026) was wrapped quickly. Rumors of a foreign streaming deal (Netflix vs. Hotstar) caused fan debate online, but official word was that Jio’s Hotstar secured rights (as per news reports on March 2026, not found in our sources).

• Cultural Sensitivity: No major controversies in India’s press about content, aside from usual chatter on political slant. Notably, like Part I, The Revenge is reported banned in GCC countries (per Wiki) due to its portrayal of sensitive political topics.

Overall, none of these issues seem to have cooled audience enthusiasm. Instead, the production scrutiny (BMC actions, drone arrest) has become part of the film’s lore. All source details above come from press reports.

Timeline (Mermaid)

(Milestones from production press and news: Part I release and Part II trailer/report dates.)

Conclusion and Verdict

Dhurandhar: The Revenge is designed as a pulse-pounding spectacle. It delivers on action and scale: scenes of warfare and espionage are choreographed with cinematic flair, and Ranveer Singh leads with a ferocious, committed performance. For fans of patriotic blockbusters, espionage sagas, or Dhar’s style, it offers a rewarding experience – a “crowd-stirring comeback” as one review dubbed it.

However, prospective viewers should be prepared for its excess: a nearly 4-hour runtime with non-stop violence and heavy-handed nationalism. Casual viewers or those sensitive to graphic content or propaganda elements may find it overwhelming. The story asks the audience to ride an emotional rollercoaster; if the second half’s length or repetitive gore is a drawback for you, that tempered reaction aligns with some critics’ view (rated as low as 2/5 by Indian Express).

Recommended Audience: This film suits action-thriller enthusiasts who enjoyed Dhurandhar and similarly ambitious epics (RRR, War). It will especially please viewers who appreciate over-the-top scale and clear-cut heroism. Watch it on the big screen to soak in the visuals and sound (A certificate means it’s strictly adult-only).

Verdict: A spectacular but divisive epic. Its technical bravura and performances are first-rate, making it a must-see for fans of the genre, but its relentless intensity and ideological tone mean it’s not for those seeking subtlety.

Sources: Production details from press and official releases. Reviews cited from TOI, Indian Express, Bollywood Hungama, India Today. Audience reactions from BookMyShow and social media. Box office/trend data from Sacnilk/industry reports. Controversy notes from Bollywood Hungama and Hollywood Reporter India.