‘Dhurandhar’, Madras Cafe; Bollywood edge-of-the-seat spy thrillers inspired by real terror operations

Spy thrillers based on real terror cases are finding new fans online. They drop operatives into deep cover, push them to live under fake names, and send them after clues that never fit perfectly. The pressure moves from hijacked planes to tight safe houses and closed-room talks, where one wrong read can kill. Love does not make things easier. It raises the stakes. And even when the job gets done, the cost still follows.

‘Dhurandhar’ follows IB officer Ajay Sanyal’s covert gamble after Kandahar and Parliament attacks, sending agent Hamza Ali Mazari into Lyari to infiltrate Rehman Dakait’s gang, manipulate Karachi politics, and expose ISI-backed terror plots. Love, betrayal, and street wars culminate in Hamza’s reveal as Indian operative Jaskirat Singh Rangi, poised to hunt the mastermind. The film stars Ranveer Singh, Tabu, and Vijay Varma, runs 156 minutes, and is available to stream on Netflix.