Dhurandhar: The Revenge (2026) Review: A Spy Saga Maxed Out

Is Dhurandhar: The Revenge worth watching?

Yes, with reservations. Dhurandhar: The Revenge is an exhausting but often thrilling spy epic, built for audiences who want Hindi action cinema at its most maximal. Aditya Dhar stages set pieces with real force, and Ranveer Singh commands the screen for almost four hours. The reservations are just as large: a running time that tests even committed fans, violence that often tips into gore, and a patriotic swagger that leaves little room for nuance.

What is Dhurandhar: The Revenge about?

Dhurandhar: The Revenge is the sequel to Dhar’s 2025 hit Dhurandhar, and it continues the story of an Indian intelligence operative, played by Ranveer Singh, working undercover as Hamza in a violent world of gangsters, spies and political power across the border in Pakistan. This time the mission turns personal: as rival gangs, corrupt officials and the ruthless Major Iqbal (Arjun Rampal) close in, Hamza’s work for his country becomes a bloody private war on the streets of Karachi’s Lyari, until it is hard to tell the patriot from the monster.

The ensemble includes Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Akshaye Khanna and Sara Arjun. It is an Indian production in Hindi, directed by Dhar, and it runs 229 minutes with an interval. The film became one of the biggest box-office hits in India in 2026 and is streaming on Netflix.

Built for the biggest possible screen

The film’s appeal is scale. Dhar designs his action sequences as events, with elaborate shootouts, chases and confrontations that build steadily towards an explosive release. He has a strong sense of rhythm within individual set pieces, alternating slow-burning menace with bursts of chaos, and the best sequences have the momentum that audiences in packed Indian theatres clearly responded to.

The world of the film is also richly populated. Criminal bosses, military men, handlers and informants all get their moments, and the veteran supporting cast gives the more familiar spy-thriller archetypes some weight, lending gravity to scenes that could have been simple exposition.

Ranveer Singh at full voltage

Singh is the reason to watch. He plays the operative as a man hollowed out by his mission, and his intensity holds together a film that often threatens to fly apart. He is convincing in the action scenes, and just as effective in the quieter moments that hint at what the mission has cost the man. It is a big, physical star performance, and he rarely lets the energy drop.

Where excess becomes the problem

The film’s greatest strength is also its main weakness. At 229 minutes, the story carries far more subplots and detours than it needs, and the connective scenes between the action often rely on heavy exposition and speechmaking. The violence is frequent and graphic, sometimes lingering on brutality in a way that feels designed for shock rather than meaning.

Its politics will divide viewers, too. The film’s nationalism is loud and unambiguous, and its portrayal of the enemy side rarely rises above villainy. Audiences who share its sentiments will find it rousing; others will find it one-dimensional, and the film makes no attempt to meet them halfway.

Who should watch Dhurandhar: The Revenge?

It is for fans of the first film, admirers of Ranveer Singh, and anyone who enjoys large-scale Indian action thrillers and has a full evening to spare. Newcomers should watch Dhurandhar first, as the sequel assumes knowledge of its characters and history. It contains extensive, graphic violence and bloodshed, and is suitable only for adults.

If it works for you, try these:

• Pathaan, a glossier, lighter take on the Indian spy blockbuster, with Shah Rukh Khan in full star mode.
• Gangs of Wasseypur, another sprawling, violent Hindi crime saga told across two very long parts, with more grit and wit.

The verdict

Dhurandhar: The Revenge is event cinema on an enormous scale, with a magnetic Ranveer Singh and set pieces that deliver real excitement. Its length, gore and heavy-handed nationalism are serious drawbacks, but as a maximalist spy spectacle it largely delivers what its audience came for.