Dhaakad is more of a sequence of embarrassing moments stretching over two hours, the most cringe-worthy of which is Badshah’s song in the conclusion, which compares the leading woman to a Quentin Tarantino flick. “Hai Tarantino ki dasvi filam…”
The line unknowingly seals a painful truth: Dhaakad (which means “formidable”) is brazenly derivative. The team behind this Hindi film appears to be primarily mining the Lara Croft blockbuster franchise starring Angelina Jolie, right down to the heroine’s style, which comprises figure-hugging black clothes of varied lengths and long plaited hair throughout big parts of the plot.
Kangana is brave and the film has the story. Finished watching the film in a premiere show dubai. I must Kangana will get her 4th national award. Must must watch.#Dhaakad
— Swati Yadav (@swat19940) May 19, 2022
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Kangana Ranaut plays Indian undercover agent Agni in debut director Razneesh ‘Razy’ Ghai’s Dhaakad. For what it’s worth, the plot revolves around a human trafficking ring commanded by Rudraveer (Arjun Rampal), which she is tasked with uncovering. Rudraveer has a nefarious sidekick named Rohini (Divya Dutt), who was raised in the sex trade. Agni’s work brings her all over the world, from Europe to Central Asia and back.
The Positives
I am shocked to see negative reviews of #Dhaakad,i watched it in the morning show and it’s terrific movie. Kangana, Arjun and Divya did splendid performances, kudos to kangana for attempting this. I am Deepika and Salman’s die hard fan but can’t give blind eye to talent like her.
— tamraaskilvis (@Tamraaskilvis) May 20, 2022
Okay, like any film you watch, you may find yourself nitpicking the flaws at points. However, with Dhaakad, I had to scratch my head and ponder the best of the movie. So nitpicking and trying to make a good first impression, I can only find a couple of positives. Kangana Ranaut is as stunning as ever, and she looks tough, sensual, and hot in every scene of the film in which she appears. You buy it every time she beats up bad men left, right, and center because she makes it seem so wonderful. Aside from that, the movie contains a few well-choreographed action sequences, particularly one with fire in the background. Although it is a little too long, it is an entertaining action sequence in which a woman kicks men’s ego.
The Cinematography
#Dhaakad is soooo good, if you guys wanna support good cinema then go and watch the movie in theatres #KanganaRanaut is undoubtedly the best actress right now, give her the due credit, can’t imagine anyone playing the role
— Drowsy (@drowsy_wanderer) May 20, 2022
Okay, one other thing I have to give the film credit for is the cinematography. Tetsuo Nagata, one of the greatest in the field, shows off his camera skills here as well, with some stunning pictures that are both beautiful and horrific at the same time. It’s thrilling, whether it’s the black and white approach with Arjun Rampal and Divya Dutta’s tale or the usage of orange as the main color due to the fire in the action scenes.
The Story & Screenplay
It’s interval and till here each scene of film #Dhaakad is perfect, superb and brilliant. #KanganaRanaut done superb and #Dhaakad job. If 2nd half is as good as first half, then it will be a sure shot blockbuster.???????? #DhaakadReview #DhaakadTrailer #DhaakadKangana #DhaakadMovie https://t.co/HL9oReXsVt
— सागर शर्मा (@sagar0fficial) May 20, 2022
We’ve finished the enjoyable parts. To get to the point, Dhaakad’s premise and screenplay are so incredibly intricate yet predictable that nothing about them makes the picture worthwhile to see. The tale strives to be a sophisticated spy thriller but ends up being a worst-case repetition of past spy thrillers. The storyline is so childish that you’ll find yourself laughing at the events of the movie, especially in the second half.
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Agent Agni – Never Dies
Amazing action scenes, very clean like a Hollywood movie. Fantastic acting by Kangana Ranaut, Arjun and Divya. Well done whole team. #KanganaRanaut #Dhaakad#KanganaRanaut
— Jatinder Kumar (@Jatinde75402343) May 20, 2022
Okay, before we are attacked – yeah, when the male protagonist of a film miraculously survives a thousand bullets, it IS NOT entertaining and cannot be sold. This is a common debate, especially in over-the-top movies. But it appears that no matter how badly you hurt Agent Agni, even if you nearly kill her, she will not die. She is repeatedly stabbed with the knife, then she is shot in the heart, but she lives – why? Because it is shown that “her heart is a little on the right side.” I was at a press screening, and I swear to you, the entire audience was laughing and making jokes the entire time.
Simply Boring
#KanganaRanaut is on Fire in #Dhaakad ! Goosebumps entry ???????? !
— Umair Sandhu (@UmairSandu) May 17, 2022
If the film had been a compelling and enjoyable spy thriller, all of the absurdity might have been forgiven. It was, on the contrary, one of the most tedious and uninspiring films ever made. Even though the film is only 2 hours and 12 minutes long, it feels much longer for all the wrong reasons. The film is not fascinating because there is no twist or developmental sequence, and the climax actually makes the film worse.
The Acting
Arjun Rampal
Nobody knows why Arjun Rampal has this strange voice and accent in the movie. Rampal, in his attempt to be a badass villain, is a hackneyed and over-the-top villain that we’ve seen before, and none of his good looks or swagger can disguise that. As the second antagonist, Divya Dutta, a superb performer in her own right, is formulaic and predictable, but one can understand why she chose this role – it is a fine actor having fun doing crazy stuff. Even though Saswata Chatterjee is an excellent performer, there isn’t much he can do when things aren’t going smoothly. With his brief role, actor Sharib Hashmi provides some credibility to the picture, while everyone else involved shows little to no acting talent.
Kangana Ranaut
Kangana’s personal life may split her fans, but no one can doubt her acting ability. However, when it comes to demonstrating her acting skills, the actress fails horribly. While she excels in action and aggression, she falls short when it comes to acting.
It’s not often that a picture with such hyper-stylized action, sass, and appealing aesthetics ends up being a trainwreck. Oh, wait! I completely forgot about Michael Bay’s films. In any case, Dhaakad is a complete trainwreck, and spending money and effort on a film for only a few decent moments is not at all justified.