Undercover in Karachi: Inside the Dhurandhar Spy Films
Few Hindi films in recent memory have dominated conversation the way Dhurandhar did. Released on 5 December 2025, this long, violent and stylised spy thriller turned into a box office juggernaut, a social media obsession and a political talking point, all within weeks. A sequel followed in March 2026, and together the two films have reshaped expectations of what a Hindi blockbuster can achieve.
What Is Dhurandhar?
Dhurandhar is a Hindi-language spy action thriller written and directed by Aditya Dhar, who previously made Uri: The Surgical Strike. It was produced by Dhar, Lokesh Dhar and Jyoti Deshpande under the banners of Jio Studios and B62 Studios. The first film runs for 214 minutes, a length that surprised many viewers and yet did little to dampen its popularity.
The story follows a mysterious traveller who infiltrates the criminal underworld of Karachi, climbing its ranks while working to dismantle the network that links organised crime with Pakistan's intelligence establishment. The narrative is loosely inspired by real events, including the Indian Airlines hijacking of 1999 and the attack on India's Parliament, and it opens with the hostage negotiations in Kandahar.
The Cast and Creative Team
Ranveer Singh leads as the undercover agent, with Akshaye Khanna in the role of the menacing gangster Rehman Dakait. The ensemble also includes Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, R. Madhavan, Sara Arjun and Rakesh Bedi, among others. Many critics and viewers singled out Khanna's performance, and a dance moment involving his character spread widely online.
Behind the camera, Vikash Nowlakha handled cinematography, Shivkumar V. Panicker edited both films, and Shashwat Sachdev composed the music. The soundtrack has since been submitted for consideration at the Grammy Awards.
A Two-Part Story
The two films were shot back to back, with filming beginning in Bangkok in July 2024 and wrapping in October 2025. Locations across Punjab, Chandigarh, Maharashtra, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh stood in for parts of Pakistan. The combined budget is reported at roughly Rs 250 to 255 crore.
Dhurandhar: The Revenge
The sequel, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, arrived worldwide on 19 March 2026, timed to coincide with Gudi Padwa, Ugadi and Eid. It runs for 229 minutes and was released in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada. Promotional material signalled a darker, bloodier tone and promised to explore the origins of Singh's character, Hamza, and how he evolved from Jaskirat Singh Rangi into an undercover operative. It received an adults-only certificate in India because of its strong violence.
Ahead of the sequel, the original film returned to around 500 cinemas worldwide, a fairly unusual move for a Hindi title.
Breaking Box Office Records
The commercial results were remarkable. Within about a month, the first film had become the highest-earning Hindi release ever in India, passing Rs 831 crore net and overtaking the earlier records held by Jawan and Stree 2. Figures for the lifetime totals vary between sources, but the first film is generally placed above Rs 1,300 crore worldwide.
Once the sequel was in cinemas, the franchise became the first Indian film series to pass Rs 3,000 crore globally. Reported combined totals now sit comfortably above that mark, although the exact number depends on the tracker consulted.
Controversy and Criticism
Success did not bring universal approval. Reviews were broadly positive about the performances, direction, action, music and world-building, but there was sustained criticism of the graphic violence and of the way fiction is blended with real historical events. Some commentators, including the online creator Dhruv Rathee, argued that the films' realistic feel makes them a persuasive form of propaganda. Supporters counter that the films are entertainment rooted in real-world inspiration. Dhar responded to the criticism only indirectly, stressing instead that the film's success was organic.
Both films were also banned across the Gulf Cooperation Council countries, which limited theatrical audiences in parts of the Middle East, although the first film found viewers there through streaming.
Where to Watch
After its cinema run, the first film arrived on Netflix in January 2026. The sequel began streaming on JioHotstar in June 2026, and a shortened, toned-down version made its television debut on Star Gold on 18 October 2026, with cuts made to violent scenes to meet broadcast requirements.
Why Dhurandhar Matters
Whatever your view of its politics or its brutality, Dhurandhar has become a landmark in Indian popular cinema. It showed that audiences will embrace a very long, serious and uncompromising spy epic, and it demonstrated the commercial pull of a two-part release strategy. For viewers, the practical advice is simple: watch the films in order, expect intense violence, and approach the real-world references as inspiration rather than documentary. For the industry, the question now is whether anyone can match what Dhar and his team have done.