Why is 'Dhurandhar' starring Akshaye Khanna and Ranveer Singh different from 'Pathaan'?

Currently, the film Dhurandhar is in discussion. Similarly, Pathaan, released in 2023, was also in the news. Both films feature action, violence, and patriotism. However, they are still different. Let's conduct a comparative review of both films today.

Dhurandhar vs Pathaan: A topic that has gained significant traction in the country these days is 'Dhurandhar'. The film Dhurandhar, directed by Aditya Dhar, is not only performing exceptionally well at the box office but has also become a subject of debate in political circles. While audiences are showering immense love on 'Dhurandhar', some are labelling it as mere 'propaganda', 'nationalism', and an 'anti-Pakistan narrative'. However, its characters and events are inspired by real individuals and incidents. Whether it's the character of Rahman Dakait played by Akshaye Khanna or Uzair Baloch's character played by Danish Pandor. Similarly, in 2023, a film called 'Pathaan' was released, in which Shah Rukh Khan played the role of an undercover agent. At that time, the film also received a lot of love from the audience, but it also faced several controversies, leading to the removal of some scenes. So, let's do a comparative analysis of Dhurandhar and Pathaan today. And let's find out which film is superior?

'Pathaan' and 'Dhurandhar' Genre

Aditya Dhar's 'Dhurandhar' is a gangster crime drama film based on true events, depicting a notorious Layari area in Pakistan and its story. Dhurandhar has been given a realistic tone. On the other hand, Siddharth Anand's Pathaan is a high-octane spy thriller film presented with a stylish treatment.

Story and Screenplay

'Pathaan', released in 2023, is a spy thriller action film, centred around an ex-undercover agent, Pathaan (Shah Rukh Khan). Pathaan returns to prevent a major terrorist attack. Standing against him is an ex-RAW agent, Jim (John Abraham), who forms a dangerous group to exact his revenge, with the support of ISI agent Rubai (Deepika Padukone). These three together make the film an exciting spy thriller. Whereas, the story of 'Dhurandhar' is based on true events. It features real-life characters like the 26/11 Mumbai Attacks, Pakistani don Rahman Dakait, Uzair Baloch, Aslam Chaudhary, and Ilyas Kashmiri, against whom stands Hamza Ali Mazari (Ranveer Singh). The film is the story of a spy who avenges the terrorist attacks on the country by the country's enemies. While Pathaan's story is full of fiction, Dhurandhar tells the story of real characters.

Hamza Ali Mazari/Pathaan

Dhurandhar has not one but several main characters, be it Ranveer Singh's spy character Hamza Ali Mazari, Akshaye Khanna's Rahman Dakait, Arjun Rampal's Ilyas Kashmiri, or Sanjay Dutt's role as SP Aslam Chaudhary. In Dhurandhar, every character is a hero; here, the hero isn't dancing, he's telling a story. Whereas in 'Pathaan', Pathaan (Shah Rukh Khan), Rubai (Deepika Padukone), and Jim (John Abraham) confront each other to achieve their respective goals, making it a high-octane spy thriller.

Action Scenes

Dhurandhar features violence and bloodshed that might disturb you. On the other hand, a lot of money was spent on Pathaan's fight scenes. Its fight scenes resemble Hollywood films. It has aerial combat where people are flying and attacking each other. VFX has been extensively used. In contrast, Dhurandhar's fight scenes are grounded and realistic.

Villains

Pathaan's villain Jim (John Abraham) was himself an Indian RAW agent and is preparing for a major attack against his own country. He wants revenge on his own country and has immense wealth. On the other hand, Dhurandhar has not one but several villains, the most dangerous among them being Rahman Dakait (Akshaye Khanna). He is a notorious gangster who, sitting in Pakistan, plots attacks on India, including the 26/11 attacks, the Kandahar hijack, and the Parliament attack. He is realistic. In addition, fearsome villains like Major Iqbal and Uzair Baloch have made the film even more realistic.

Social Impact

The characters in Dhurandhar resemble real-life individuals, whether it's Rahman Dakait, Major Iqbal, or Danish Pandor as Uzair Baloch. All these characters of notorious terrorists and gangsters from Pakistan have been portrayed effectively. This has divided people into two factions. One faction believes the film is anti-Islam, while another faction states that what is shown in the film is not anti-Islam but anti-terrorism. On the other hand, the film Pathaan faced controversies over its song "Besharam Rang" and a couple of scenes, which were described as anti-Sanatan. Due to this, the makers had to remove some scenes.

Box Office Performance

If we compare the box office performance of both films, Dhurandhar has crossed the ₹300 crore mark. The film is receiving immense love from the audience. It is estimated that Dhurandhar will cross the ₹370 crore mark by its tenth day. Overall, Pathaan had earned ₹1,050.30 crore. And if we talk about the collection in 10 days, Pathaan had earned ₹378.15 crore in 10 days. Therefore, it would not be wrong to say that 'Dhurandhar' is giving tough competition to 'Pathaan' in terms of earnings.

Comparing both films, while Pathaan is a complete entertainment package, Dhurandhar is a real and quality content-driven gangster drama story with depth. Where Pathaan has romance and song and dance, Dhurandhar is the story of a spy that will make you think and raise questions. Both films are excellent in their respective genres and levels.