Shobhaa De’s Candid Review of Dhurandhar: The Revenge

Veteran author and columnist Shobhaa De has shared her candid review of Dhurandhar: The Revenge, offering a mixed response to the much-discussed action thriller. Taking to Instagram, she posted a detailed “capsule review” of the film, which has been receiving varied reactions from audiences and industry insiders since its release.

In her caption, De did not hold back in expressing her concerns about the film’s storytelling approach. “Capsule review of Dhurandhar Part 2. The Revenge. There were too many explanations…like tutoring school kids on how baddies operate. The dialogues were obvious and spelling things out for dummies. Instead of letting the subtext push the narrative. Too many tropes and cliches. Action for the sake of action. And Rohit Shetty inspired cars blowing up set pieces at regular intervals,” she wrote, while also questioning certain plot points and calling the finale an “Anti climax!!!!”

Despite her criticisms, De acknowledged that the film managed to keep her engaged. In her video review, she said, “Let me give you the good news first. I wasn’t bored. It’s four hours. I didn’t fall asleep and I sort of enjoyed it, but I’m not ecstatic, like I’m not excited like I was when I watched the first one.”

Comparing it to its predecessor, she added that the original had more depth and suspense. “The first one I thought was much more layered… this one, there was a bit of a déjà vu. I could almost predict what’s going to happen next, which is never good.” De also addressed the larger reception of the film, stating, “People have called it a masterpiece. Sorry, it’s not a masterpiece, at least not for me. It was comme ci, comme ça, as the French would say.”

On the performance front, she singled out Arjun Rampal and Sanjay Dutt as the standout performers. “That’s Arjun Rampal. He chewed up everyone, including Ranveer. Sorry, Ranveer, but he did. And Sanjay Dutt, who was impeccable. There was not one false note in his performance. He was menacing. He was unpredictable,” she said. However, she criticized Sara Arjun’s performance while also addressed the ‘jingoism’ in the film.

She also expressed sadness over missing Akshaye Khanna who was absent in the second instalment. “You were so missed Akshaye Khanna. You were so missed. Without Rehman Dakaid, for me, honestly, I didn’t think I would miss him that much. The style was not there. That wonderful impromptu dance was not there. There was a version of the Baloch dance, but nowhere, nowhere, nowhere, nowhere near that one (‘FA9LA’)”.

However, she was less impressed with other aspects, including the script, music, and certain performances. She also noted that while theatres were packed, some viewers appeared disengaged during the screening.

Concluding her review, De maintained a balanced stance, suggesting that while the film is watchable, it may not leave a lasting impact.