Akshay Khanna’s Comeback in Dhurandar: A Powerful Return Blended with Modern Storytelling and the Viral Hit “FA9LA”
Dhurandhar is a 2025 Indian Hindi-language spy action thriller written, co-produced, and directed by Aditya Dhar. Backed by Jyoti Deshpande’s Jio Studios and Aditya and Lokesh Dhar’s B62 Studios, the film serves as the first instalment of an ambitious two-part cinematic series.
Featuring a formidable ensemble cast led by Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna, alongside R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, Sara Arjun, and Rakesh Bedi, the film explores a decade-long Indian intelligence operation embedded deep within Karachi’s criminal and political underworld. Supporting performances by Manav Gohil, Danish Pandor, Saumya Tandon, Gaurav Gera, and Naveen Kaushik further enrich its layered narrative.
Blending geopolitics, espionage, crime, and personal sacrifice, Dhurandhar positions itself as one of the most complex and mature spy thrillers to emerge from Indian cinema.
Akshaye Khanna’s Return in a Pivotal Role
Akshay Khanna has long been admired for his thoughtful choices and versatile performances in films such as Border, Humraaz, and Gandhi My Father, which established him as one of the most respected actors of his generation. After stepping away from the spotlight in the early 2010s to seek more meaningful roles and escape the pressures of constant visibility, his absence was keenly felt by audiences and critics alike.
With Dhurandar, Khanna makes a powerful return, embracing a complex role that reflects his artistic maturity and refined craft. The film provides him with ample scope to explore emotional depth and moral complexity, reaffirming his strength as a character-driven actor. Enhancing the film’s contemporary appeal is “FA9LA”, a viral track featuring Bahraini rapper Flipperachi, with music by DJ Outlaw. Translating to “fun time” or “party,” the song adds a global, youthful energy to the narrative, making Khanna’s comeback feel both nostalgic and refreshingly modern.
Narrative Structure: Eight Chapters of Espionage
Dhurandhar is uniquely structured into eight meticulously crafted chapters—The Price of Peace, Stranger in the Land of Shadows, The Bastard King of Lyari, Bullets and Roses, The Jinn, The Devil’s Guardian, The Butterfly Effect, and Et tu Brutus—each of which propels the narrative forward while simultaneously adding layers of political intrigue and emotional depth. This chapter-based format enables the film to move seamlessly across shifting timelines, diverse locations, and evolving power dynamics, ultimately strengthening its expansive, long-form espionage narrative and keeping audiences deeply engaged throughout.
Plot Overview: Operation Dhurandhar Unfolds
The film opens on 30 December 1999, when India’s Minister of External Affairs Devavrat Kapoor and Intelligence Bureau (IB) Director Ajay Sanyal negotiate with terrorist Zahoor Mistry in Kandahar, agreeing to release imprisoned terrorists and pay a US $10 million ransom to save airline passengers. R&AW chief K. S. Bhullar initially rejects Sanyal’s proposal to infiltrate Pakistan-based terror networks.
However, after the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, Kapoor authorizes “Operation Dhurandhar”, a long-term covert intelligence mission.
Infiltration into Lyari, Karachi
Sanyal deploys undercover agent Hamza Ali Mazari, who enters Pakistan via Afghanistan and embeds himself in Lyari, Karachi, posing as a Baloch laborer. He befriends Mohammed Aalam, a juice shop owner, and begins working as a waiter, quietly gathering intelligence on local gangs.
Hamza aligns himself with the gang of Rehman Dakait, a feared Lyari gangster, led alongside his cousin Uzair Baloch. When a rival Pathan gang headed by Babu Dakait attacks Rehman’s family—killing his elder son Naieem—Hamza earns Rehman’s trust by saving his younger son, Faizal Baloch.
This act pulls Hamza deeper into Lyari’s violent power struggles.
Crime, Politics, and Espionage Intersect
As Hamza embeds further, he uncovers the gang’s illegal arms manufacturing network and manipulates events to provoke retaliation against Babu Dakait, culminating in Rehman brutally killing his own father and declaring Baloch dominance in Lyari.
Rehman’s rise draws political attention. He is courted by Jameel Jamali of the Pakistan Awami Party (PAP) and introduced to Major Iqbal, an ISI officer, through the influential Khanani brothers. Iqbal recruits Rehman for weapons supply and exposes Hamza to Pakistan’s counterfeit currency operations and torture of Indian spies.
Hamza secretly relays this intelligence to India, revealing plans for a major terror attack—intel that tragically fails to prevent the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, a moment that devastates Hamza and redefines his mission.
Betrayal, Power, and the Ultimate Revelation
As Lyari politics spiral, SP Chaudhary Aslam forms a Lyari Task Force to eliminate Rehman. Hamza manipulates all sides—politicians, police, and gangsters—while forming a relationship with Yalina Jamali, Jameel’s daughter.
At Hamza and Yalina’s wedding, he engineers Rehman’s downfall by orchestrating a weapons delivery ambush. On 9 August 2009, Hamza betrays Rehman, leading him into Aslam’s trap. A violent confrontation ensues, ending with Rehman fatally injured and later dying in hospital—unaware of Hamza’s true role.
The film culminates in a major revelation: Hamza Ali Mazari is actually Jaskirat Singh Rangi, an Indian death-row inmate recruited and trained as a covert asset for Operation Dhurandhar.
With Rehman eliminated, Jaskirat consolidates power in Lyari and sets his sights on “Bade Sahab”, the unseen architect behind multiple Pakistan-sponsored terror attacks—setting the stage for the second instalment.
Why Dhurandhar Stands Out
Dhurandhar stands out from conventional spy thrillers by shifting its focus from high-octane spectacle to the slow, unsettling realities of intelligence work. The film emphasizes long-term infiltration operations that demand patience and absolute commitment, while exploring moral ambiguity and the heavy personal sacrifices such missions entail. By intricately linking crime networks, political power plays, and terrorism, Dhurandhar presents espionage as a complex web rather than a battle of clear-cut heroes and villains. It also delves into the psychological toll of prolonged undercover warfare, revealing the emotional erosion faced by those who live double lives. This grounded realism, reinforced by its chapter-based narrative structure, firmly sets Dhurandhar apart within the Indian spy genre.
A Defining Spy Epic and a Career Milestone
Dhurandhar is not merely a comeback vehicle—it is a bold reimagining of Indian spy cinema. For Akshaye Khanna, the film reinforces his legacy as an actor drawn to depth, complexity, and realism. For audiences, it offers a gripping, unsettling look into the unseen cost of national security.
As the first chapter in a two-part saga, Dhurandhar lays a formidable foundation—one that promises even higher stakes, deeper revelations, and a continuing exploration of power, betrayal, and patriotism.