Dhurandhar is a star-studded saga inspired by incredible true events set in the gritty criminal vein of underworld with a backdrop of Indian patriotism, featuring action sequences, Shakespearean betrayals, and tradecrafts of espionage
Set against the backdrop of escalating terrorism in South Asia following the IC-814 hijacking and the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, Dhurandhar follows a covert intelligence operation designed to dismantle the criminal networks that support terror activities across borders. Conventional intelligence methods prove insufficient, leading Indian agencies to recruit a young criminal as a deniable asset-someone who can operate outside legal and diplomatic frameworks.
The story centers on Hamza, a hardened youth from Punjab whose life is shaped by violence, loss, and systemic injustice. His family is destroyed in a staged police encounter, pushing him toward a life of crime. After he kills a local gangster in an act of revenge, Hamza is arrested. Instead of facing trial, he is offered a secret deal: work for Indian intelligence or spend his life in prison. With nothing left to lose, he accepts the mission.
Hamza is given a new identity and illegally sent into Pakistan to infiltrate the underworld that finances and facilitates terror operations against India. Starting at the lowest rung of the criminal hierarchy, he takes on increasingly dangerous tasks to prove his loyalty. His calculated brutality and strategic thinking draw the attention of Rahman Daakuat, a powerful crime lord with deep connections to terror groups, arms dealers, and corrupt officials.
As Hamza rises within the organization, he secretly feeds intelligence back to India, helping disrupt weapons shipments and funding routes. However, life inside the criminal world begins to take a psychological toll. He forms emotional connections with people who believe his false identity and begins to see the human cost of the violence he enables. At the same time, his handlers treat him as an expendable instrument rather than a human asset.
The mission takes a dark turn when a major intelligence leak compromises a joint counter-terror operation, resulting in the deaths of several agents. Suspecting that Hamza's cover may be blown, Indian authorities erase his official existence to protect national secrets. He is declared dead in government records and left without support inside enemy territory.
Believing himself betrayed by both nations, Hamza eliminates Rahman Daakuat and takes control of the criminal network. Under the new identity of Dhurandhar, he becomes the most feared figure in the region's underworld. Publicly, he appears to have fully embraced criminal power. Secretly, he continues to sabotage terror finances, arms trafficking, and rival factions from within.
Officially, Hamza remains listed as a criminal and a deceased intelligence asset. His sacrifices are never acknowledged by the state. In the closing moments of the film, a shadowy, scarred figure watches a classified briefing from a distance, suggesting that he may still be alive, condemned to live anonymously after saving millions.
Dhurandhar concludes as a study of covert warfare, identity erasure, and the moral cost of national security pursued from the shadows.
