Tag: Arjun Rampal

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Dhurandhar 2 (The Revenge): Aditya Dhar’s Hindutva version of Gangs of Wasseypur

There is no denying Aditya Dhar’s technical prowess and his ability in staging a scene. However, it’s high time that the young director steps out of government mouthpiece image. Ranveer Singh as Jaskirat/Hamza Ali Makari gets a more of an author backed role here and the actor chews the scenery perfectly oscillating between understatedness and emotionally charged. Rakesh Bedi continues to entertain as the conniving politician with a solid twist towards the end

Starcast: Ranveer Singh, Rakesh Bedi, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, Danish Pandor and others

Direction, story and production: Aditya Dhar

Additional screenplay: Ojas Gautam and Shivkumar V Panicker

Music: Shaswat Sachdev

Cinematography: Vikas Nokawala

Producers: Aditya Dhar, Jyoti Deshpande and Lokesh Dhar

Production Companies: Jio Studios and B62 Studios

Running time: 3 hours and 53 minutes

There are two major reasons for the mega success of Dhurandhar movies. One is the YRF spy template with increasing focus on style with the same aesthetics. This has led to a lag after an impressive start with EK Tha Tiger, Tiger Zinda Hai etc. The other big reason for Dhurandhar’s blockbuster success is the gritty texture. The spy here takes his own sweet to roar. The first part of Dhurandhar in spite of the polarizing views became a monstrous hit especially Akshaye Khanna as Rehman Dakiat. Dhurandhar (the revenge) comes with massive expectations and is most likely to go the way of its predecessor splitting up the viewers on Aditya Dhar’s craft versus the political propaganda.

For those who haven’t seen Dhurandhar one the plot focused on Ranveer Singh’s Hamza infiltrating into the gang of Rehman Dakiat on the orders of R Madhavan’s Arjun Sanyal. The first one hinted at a backstory of how Jaskrit turned into Hamza. The second part is both a continuation and a prequel. The viewers see Jaskrit transforming from a young man with big dreams to his life turning upside down. In the present timeline the journey of a spy continues with him taking down the nation’s enemies one by one in a methodical manner. There is also the reveal of Bade Saab with a Dawood Ibrahim inspired character, but the biggest twist comes in the pre climax with Rakesh Bedi. The details of which are better enjoyed on the screen.

A strong aspect of Dhurandhar (The Revenge) is the effective world building. Much like the first part there is a lived in a feel to the proceedings whether it’s the Baluchistan politics or the internal strife especially the rivalry of gangs. In one way the film can be easily termed as Aditya Dhar’s Gangs of Wasseypur. The sprawling world of Lyari is a good example of this.

Shaswat Sachdev’s music and the background score also uplifts many scenes. The Aari Aari song continues to be a pulsating number, the placement of this signifying the transformation of Jaskirat is extremely well done. Another number worth mentioning here is Jaan Se Guzarte Hain. The background score is another winner for the movie, especially in the portions of tension and Ranveer turning into a ferocious beast.

Vikas Nokawala’s cinematography is of an excellent order too. He captures the rugged atmospherics of Lyari in a first-rate manner. His work in the hardcore action sequences also deserves a mention. A special mention must be made of the brutal showdown involving Ranveer and Arjun Rampal.

Talking about the villains the presence of Akshaye Khanna is definitely missed. There was a magnetic charm in the way Rehman Dakiat was written and performed. Arjun Rampal’s major Iqbal lacks that nevertheless the actor makes for a formidable antagonist especially in the scenes of Hamza’s real identity coming out. Aditya Dhar also gives a slight backstory into why Iqbal hates India and this gives a good psychological insight.

Sanjay Dutt as the semi villain is entertaining with his one liners like the humorous interaction with Rakesh Bedi amidst a shoot-out. He plays the grey shaded cop in a charismatic manner. However, Rakesh Bedi continues to be the strongest pillar. Much like the first part his character switches shades like a chameleon and the actor nails it. At the same time there is a surprising emotional touch in the pre climax conversation with Ranveer showcasing a different facet.

Ranveer Singh in the titular role gets more of a wholesome arc unlike the first one. The actor throws himself deeply coming up with a first-rate performance. The performance has the right mixture of emotional vulnerability and ferociousness. At the same time, he also plays the part with the required understatedness. Ranveer especially stands out in a post interval stretch when the cover is almost blown. R Madhavan also gets more screen time in comparison to the first one and the actor makes his presence amply felt as the strategist. Among the rest Danish Pandor as Rehman Dakiat’s younger brother starts off promisingly but is soon relegated to the background.

Blatant glorification of ruling party:

A major problem with Dhurandar (The revenge) is the extremely blatant glorification of the ruling party. Narendra Modi twice makes an appearance and there is an extended subplot of praising demonetization. His dialogues talk about how the entire operation created a big dent for terrorists and this is stretching enmity too far. The first part had its share of open propaganda, but this one makes the movie look like a film funded by BJP whether it is the demonetization angle or the slogans of Bharat Mata ki Jai. The surgical strikes also find a mention.

The women characters are also patchily written. Sara Arjun as the wife is relegated to the background for most part. Apart from being tensed in the post interval portions there is nothing more. There is a crucial emotional sequence with the character going through a heartbreak but as viewers you don’t feel anything because the romantic relationship was hardly developed in the first place. Even the powerhouse Yami Gautam is wasted in a cameo adding zero substance.

The violence is also more grating than the 2025 movie. Its more violence for the sake of effect than anything else in spite of Ranveer putting his heart and soul.

The Pakistani characters too are more of barbarians than fleshed out human beings. There is an attempt at nuance when Jaskirat talks about how Pakistan is equally suffering due to terrorism and that his war is not against the common man. But this feels like more of lip service than something concrete.

Final word: Dhurandar 2 (The Revenge) is best enjoyed for fans of patriotic action dramas or if you are a huge admirer of Ranveer Singh.

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Bhagavanth Kesari: A Fan Pleasing Entertainer With A Strong Dose Of Feminism

Anil Ravipudi moves away from his regular style of filmmaking and delivers a moving emotional drama. At certain points the film reminds you of Dangal.

Bhagavanth Kesari (Telugu)          

Starcast: Nandamuri Balakrishna, Sreeleela, Arjun Rampal, Kajal Aggarwal and others

Director and writer: Anil Ravipudi

Producers: Sahu Garapati and Harish Peddi

Production Company: Shine Screens

Music: Thaman S

Running time: 2 hours and 37 minutes

Genre: Action drama

Anil Ravipudi is a director who has been successful in making commercial potboilers that are high on entertainment. The director is known for creating characters that come with specific mannerisms resulting in slapstick humour.

However in Bhagavanth Kesari the director opts for a different route. Anil Ravipudi’s brand of humour is absent for most part except for a few scenes involving Kajal Aggarwal. Here he has written and directed a story that has elements which will both satisfy Balakrishna fans and also give a social message through the character of Sreeleela.

Bhagavanth Kesari (Nandamuri Balakrishna) an ex police officer is the foster father of Vijji (Sreeleela). After her biological father C I Srikanth (R. Sarathkumar) dies in an accident he takes on her responsibilities. As a young child Vijji meets Bhagavanth when he was a prisoner in a jail where her father worked. Bhagavanth feels an emotional connection with her right from the beginning.

Vijji’s mother wanted to join the army but she had sacrificed her dreams. Srikanth feels guilty about coming in the way of his wife’s dreams. His biggest wish was to see Vijji joining the army. Here Anil Ravipudi doesn’t use the army angle to evoke patriotic feelings: it is more for Vijji to overcome her anxiety attacks and become a resilient young woman.

Rahul Sanghvi (a Dashing Arjun Rampal) is a power hungry tycoon who firmly goes by the philosophy of Charles Darwin’s survival of the fittest. Rahul and Bhagavanth have a bitter past that resurfaces – the usual template between a hero and villain. In a nutshell the story is about how Vijji emerges as a strong woman both physically and mentally and how Bhagavanth helps her to achieve it.

The biggest USP of Bhagavanth Kesari is easily the emotional drama between Bhagavanth and Vijji. Bhagavanth is someone who firmly believes that girls need to be raised like lions and this clearly shows in how he pushes her to do certain things. Vijji’s interests lie more in marrying the love of her life. In these portions Bhagavanth’s attitude reminds the viewers of Aamir Khan’s Mahavir Singh Phogat.

There is a scene where VIjji’s boyfriend comes with his father for the marriage proposal. The prospective father-in-law has a very dismissive attitude of Bhagavanth’s aspirations regarding Vijji. He says that it’s enough that Vijji becomes a good housewife and mother. Bhagavanth gets angry and kicks him, a typical Balakrishna gesture. Naturally Vijji gets annoyed and starts treating Bhagavanth as a stranger. As viewers we empathize with both these characters.

Anil Ravipudi also makes some important points about good touch and bad touch through a rousing monologue by Balakrishna. Here again the emphasis is on how girls should be raised courageous like lions.

Arjun Rampal exudes the right amount of swag and ruthlessness

Bhagavanth Kesari benefits immensely from the performances of Balakrishna and Sreeleela. Balakrishna delivers a mature performance without going overboard in the emotional scenes. The actor’s Telangana diction is also commendable. Of course he satisfies his fans in the flashback portions where he plays to the gallery. There is an important passage in the film’s pre climax when Bhagavanth lets Vijji do all the fighting for a particular reason. Both Anil Ravipudi and Balakrishna need to be given credit for how they let Sreeleela take the center stage.

Known for her glamour roles Sreeleela springs a very pleasant surprise with her performance. The actress does a wonderful job in showcasing the transition of Vijji. She also proves to be a good action heroine convincingly taking on the baddies. Arjun Rampal as the antagonist exudes the right amount of swag and ruthlessness. It is a not a very innovative character but Arjun makes it work.

Anil Ravipudi, the director known for creating characters that come with specific mannerisms resulting in slapstick humour

One of the threads that don’t quite work is the one featuring Kajal, his love interest. She plays a supposed psychiatrist. Her track doesn’t quite jell with the narrative. Another mild issue with the film is the flashback of Bhagavanth Kesari that glorifies his brutal methods.

Bhagavanth Kesari is a welcome break from Balakrishna’s hyper masculine Akhanda and Veera Simha Reddy; A welcome sign of his transition from macho hero to father hero.