The Sacrifice of Righteousness — The story of Jaskirat (Dhurandhar - The Revenge)

First, I have to admit that the long wait was truly worthwhile in every sense! I finally saw "Dhurandhar - The Revenge", the much awaited sequel. I can't hold myself anymore and am dying to express that it genuinely surpassed all my expectations which I had harboured around it. Aditya Dhar did a fabulous job in stuffing superior storyline, fantastic cinematography, perfect soundtrack and everything else in the final masterpiece which made it possible for me to witness the gem as is. Although the masterpiece was a prolonged 3 hour 48 minute show, I never felt the fatigue at all thanks to the intriguing storytelling, action packed sequences and the emotional scenes. And, I'm damn sure that it was the same case with all of you too who have already seen it. Once again, a gentle disclaimer — spoilers ahead and therefore proceed at your own risk! Similar to the prequel, the sequel too started with a reverse narrative. This time it was about the tragedy of Jaskirat Singh which started it all. It was about the shattered dreams of a man who wanted to serve in the Indian army but circumstances led him to take law into his own hands for which he was sentenced death penalty. It provoked him to question the system and challenge its credibility. It was at this interesting juncture, that he was offered to serve his motherland — this time in a different role, a role which meant one to undertake severe penances, austerity and most importantly the two qualities of patience and vigilance. Like that it happened and the lion set afoot on his journey to set an example, to corrode the heart of terrorism from within. What I really enjoyed watching were the well-timed action packed sequences. I felt that this time gore and violence was considerably higher, with notable scenes like the Baloch and Pathan gang clashes, the swift yet ruthless assassinations of those involved in major blasts and genocides in India and finally the deadly fight scene between Hamza and Major Iqbal amid the tumult of war in the setting of Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) base in Muridke. Notable mentions, which I personally found exciting were the scenes where Chaudhary Aslam gets toasted hard in that deliberately planned road accident and also the swearing of "Bharat Mata ki Jai" by Zahoor Mistry. I won't deny — the latter was very satisfying to watch! Overall, the compelling storytelling, the suspense, the progression of events and the underlying chaos with the brawls especially supporting them transformed the fight dynamics and made them more magnetic. Not only the action, but also the emotional scenes did really steal the show. The scene where Jaskirat's then-turned drug transporter cum distributor brother-in-law learns of Hamza's true identity and was about to let the cat out of the bag, sent shivers down my spine. What followed was yet more heart wrenching, where Hamza had to kill his juice shop man who provided him shelter when he arrived to Lyari for the first time in order to keep others from harbouring any kind of suspicion towards him. It would have ruined his long term plan and everything would come to a halt. Another scene, where Yalina learns about the other identity of Hamza, of him being an Indian secret agent and the scenes which unfold just after is also worth mentioning. The final stretches of emotional lurch came at the very end of the movie when Jaskirat left for his ancestral home in Pathankot without debriefing and sees his sister, her child and his mother but they didn't notice him. That did struck a chord. Having said so much so far, its also worth throwing some light upon the other elements and other major scenes which are also my personal favs. The humour element was undoubtedly and single-handedly portrayed by Hamza's father-in-law. I think we all can unanimously agree upon that. Especially that scene where he is seen praising the white "bataks" of Zawari saab. Oh my god! That left me laughing so hard... He's one hell of a bloody comedy, man! Keeping aside the various other attributes which made the movie so likable, there were some scenes which did evoke mixed feelings. The conferring of Hamza with the "Sher-e-Baloch" title and his analogous entry just like Rehman Dakait in the prequel (it was quite an interesting inclusion), the look on the face of that guy when the news of demonetization was flashing on the TV, the look on the face of the Pakistani general when Ajay Sanyal bargained the release of Jaskirat captured as a prisoner, etc. were some of the other notable ones. No matter how much I yap about the movie and praise it, it won't be ever enough! Go, see the movie in theatres once, and give your eyes a treat and eulogize the brilliant screenplay. I would give it an even higher rating than its prequel, undoubtedly. Lastly, it's worth saying that the "Revenge" was well served, in every sense of the word.