Dhurandhar , 3 April : The Revenge film encompasses the life journey and metamorphosis of Jaskirat Singh Rangi (played rivetingly by Ranveer Singh), from a young Army aspirant to a leading ‘unknown man’ (undercover operative of RAW) informed by his deep-rooted patriotism.
It depicts his heart-wrenching past, which compels him to take up arms owing to systemic failure. Ironically, he is asked to defend the very system that had failed him. He ultimately has no other alternative but to become the ‘killing machine’ or the ‘wrath of God.’
In fact, Jaskirat had already reached a state of numbness by then; the only thing left of him was his pain.
The story then revolves around how he channels his pain constructively to become ‘Dhurandhar’ (a stalwart who bears a great burden), which he eventually does as throughout the narrative he keeps on reiterating, “Ghayal hoon isiliye Ghatak hoon.”
A Poignant Exploration Of Duty And Detachment
The film also hints at why people like Jaskirat are chosen to become the ‘unknown men’ for the greater good of the nation. It probably becomes convenient for a nation to utilize such people as ‘assets’ as those individuals who have been beset by a traumatic past rarely find fulfilment in socially sanctioned relationships such as marriage etc., and the chances of them being successfully integrated into the society also seem implausible.
Conversely, if they succeed in the mission that they are trained for, then the nation stands to benefit from it or else they are to be considered dispensable for all purposes concerned.
Such is the plight and predicament that confronts Jaskirat, who embodies detachment and selfless action, both of which are rooted in the Bhagavad Gita as its core tenets, in its truest sense, and demonstrates it at least thrice in the film.
Firstly, he burns the photograph of his Indian family while taking on the identity of Hamza Ali Mazari, an undercover Indian spy in Pakistan.
Secondly, when he burns the photograph of his Pakistani family, comprising of his son and his wife Yalina (played with aplomb by Sara Arjun), whom he views not as his ray of hope but as his guilty conscience, as she reminds him of a householder’s life and its corresponding obligations.
The role that his turbulent past and patriotic mission have already rendered invalid for him, and this inner turmoil gets aesthetically encapsulated in the song ‘Aakhiri Ishq’, which tugs at the heartstrings of the audience instantly.
Emotional Cost Of Living A Double Life
Thirdly, when he returns to India, he seems no longer, Hamza the ‘wrath of God,’ but comes across as someone who is emotionally drained and has concomitantly shrunk considerably as he hobbles off the train, to meet his family once again but finds them having moved on quietly in his absence and decides to not disrupt their peace and stability with his presence and thereby epitomising another form of unconditional love, which is letting go of people, even loved ones, simply because they no longer require him anymore and his reintroduction in their lives would only serve as a reminder of their wounds that have, somewhat healed, in his absence.
He also successfully manages to forge bonds of friendship with Aalam, a fellow undercover Indian spy in Pakistan, and later laments his death movingly.
The narrative of the film then, frees Jaskirat from the compulsion of seeking validation from worldly ties and allows him to move beyond superficial trappings of the world as all such societal nomenclatures in no way become his defining feature in the end.
However, it is all but human to be deeply moved by the slow disintegration of these ties which is why Jaskirat breaks down at each of these momentous occasions in the film, underscoring his deep sensitivity towards people close to his heart.
The film’s narrative then offers a delicate balancing of these binary tendencies and looks to harmonize them through Jaskirat’s character, something which Bollywood had hitherto rarely projected vis-à-vis its protagonists, thereby making it a compelling big-screen experience, and for which the director of the film, Aditya Dhar deserves to be lauded.
Strong Performances, Nuanced Storytelling Elevate Narrative
The usage of vintage songs also add depth to the film’s narrative and leave a lasting impact on the audience. Similarly, other prominent actors like Arjun Rampal who plays the role of the chief antagonist, Major Iqbal, and Sanjay Dutt as SP Chaudhary Aslam, have also done justice to their roles but it is Rakesh Bedi as Jameel Jamali, who is the surprise package of the film.
In addition to it, the recurrence of mother-son scenes at least thrice in the narrative of the film, signifies the passage of time for Jaskirat, making him steadfast in his resolve in the first instance, nostalgic in the second and emotionally vulnerable in the last one. Moreover, all such moments in the film humanize and ennoble Jaskirat’s character before the audience.
Ultimately, Jaskirat is a layered and complex character, but is nonetheless an endearing one too as he is someone whose reticence is partly informed by his mission and due in part to the fact that he feels and remembers more, thereby making him an emotionally resonant character.
He is endowed with sensitivity and vulnerability, which is a rarity as far as Bollywood’s protagonists are concerned. In the end, Jaskirat’s character breaks the fourth wall and looks directly, as if in supplication, at the audience for acceptance as he had to kill many versions of himself for the nation, and he, least of all, deserves to be in that emotionally vulnerable state towards the end of the film’s narrative, occupying a liminal space.
The film thus succeeds in paying homage to the ‘unknown men’ and soldiers alike and also drives home the point that it’s high time we acknowledge their silent sacrifices and accord them the dignity and appreciation which they truly deserve.
