Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar: The Revenge (also called Dhurandhar 2), starring Ranveer Singh as undercover agent Hamza/Jaskirat, has become a box-office juggernaut by cleverly weaving real-life political and security events into its high-octane espionage narrative. Director Aditya Dhar uses recent Indian history not just as a backdrop but as a driving force that lends urgency, scale, and authenticity to the story of revenge and national security.
Modi’s 2014 Victory as a Turning Point
One of the most prominent real-world references in the film is the 2014 general election victory of Narendra Modi and the BJP. The movie incorporates actual archival footage of Modi’s swearing-in ceremony, portraying it as a decisive shift in India’s approach to national security. In the film’s universe, this political change marks the beginning of a more assertive India that stops playing defence and starts taking bold action against its enemies.
Demonetisation Reimagined as ‘Operation Green Leaf’
The 2016 demonetisation announcement by Prime Minister Modi is dramatised as a strategic masterstroke against terror financing. In the film, it is rebranded as ‘Operation Green Leaf’ and shown as a move to cripple Pakistani intelligence (ISI) and underworld networks, including a fictionalised Dawood Ibrahim, who allegedly pumped in counterfeit currency worth thousands of crores to influence elections in Uttar Pradesh.
Atiq Ahmed-Inspired Character and Encounter
A major sequence in Dhurandhar 2 draws direct inspiration from the real-life killing of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed in April 2023. The film features a character named Atif Ahmed (played by Salim Siddiqui), depicted as a powerful mafia figure with alleged links to ISI and terror funding. His dramatic assassination scene closely mirrors the circumstances of Atiq Ahmed’s death, adding a gritty, unsettling layer of realism to the underworld-terror nexus portrayed in the story.
Director’s Vision and Audience Impact
Aditya Dhar has maintained that the film is “inspired by real events” rather than a direct retelling, using these flashpoints to heighten tension and patriotism. The integration of actual news footage and reimagined incidents has sparked both applause for its boldness and criticism for selective storytelling. Regardless, it has amplified the film’s emotional connect, with audiences reacting strongly to these sequences in theatres.
-By Manoj H