7 hours and 29 minutes of Dhurandhar, and now we have seen it all. Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar franchise came to an end with its second part this weekend and all those who argued endlessly whether the first one was a ‘propaganda’ film can now sit back and examine their past statements, and come to a safe conclusion – that this is a mainstream film made with the direct intention of praising the powers that be, and telling the audience that when all reasonable arguments fail, the only way to get a man to do what you want is to challenge his ‘mardaangi’ (masculinity).The Dhurandhar franchise is seen as highly polarising as it melds real-life incidents with fictional storylines, and leaves it up to the audience to distinguish between the two. It liberally uses events from India’s recent history, and declares that the ‘naya Bharat’ is all about ‘ghus ke marna’, and there’s no need for fixing the system that exists within the country. For 7 hours, we are told that all this country needs is a few Hamzas, who can be trained at a spy school, and then export them to any country that poses a threat. The failure of the system that makes these Hamzas is never addressed, and that makes you wonder if Jaskirat ever deserved his fate as Hamza in the first place.ALSO READ | How Dhurandhar 2 uses real-life events – from demonetisation to encounters – to build Hamza’s worldSPOILER ALERT Ranveer Singh’s Jaskirat believes he has no option but to kill those who wronged his family. (Photo: Jio Studios/Instagram)Dhurandhar 2 begins with the backstory of Ranveer Singh’s Jaskirat Singh Rangi as he goes on a killing spree. Jaskirat is training to be a soldier, much like his father and his grandfather. But the local politician in his town, who is more like a local gunda (goon), has wreaked havoc on his family. Jaskirat believes he is forced to go on, what seems like a suicide mission, to save his sister, and is jailed for his actions. We see the lawyer arguing for him and pleading that it was the system that failed Jaskirat, but these appeals fall on deaf ears.Jaskirat has resigned to the failure of the system until Madhavan’s Ajay Sanyal decides to use him as a pawn in an intelligence mission. And this, by all means, should have been the most important scene of the film as Ajay has to convince a man, who has been failed by the system, to serve the same system for the rest of his life. Jaskirat rejects his offer and as an audience member, you understand his point of view. And it is at this moment, Madhavan recites a few lines from the teachings of Guru Gobind Singh, and follows it up by saying, “Hum mard hain Jaskirat. Paida hone se maut tak, humara kartavya hai ladna. (We are men Jaskirat. From birth to death, it is our duty to fight.)”The dialogue clearly aims at targeting Jaskirat’s masculinity, and uses him as a conduit to speak to the audience. It equates bravery and sacrifice with masculinity and is framed in a fashion that leaves no room for discussion. Jaskirat is told that his job ‘as a man’ is to serve the underserved, no matter what happens to him. And a young 20-something who has lost all faith in the system suddenly agrees to Ajay’s demands. The audience wonders how he flipped – was it the promised PPF for his ailing mother? Or was it the unsaid fear as to what might happen to his family if he says no? Or was it something as basic as him being told that he has to act like a ‘mard’ (man)? You are just told to go wih it, and never question his motivation, just like he didn’t. Pinda’s appearance comes as a rude reminder that the system that once failed Jaskirat, has now failed another member of his family. (Photo: Udaybir Sandhu/Instagram)Jaskirat cuts ties with his past and leaves no stone unturned in accomplishing his many missions. He becomes Hamza and until confronted by Pinda, his childhood friend and brother-in-law, you don’t see him reminiscing about his past. The appearance of Pinda raises an obvious observation – the system that failed Jaskirat, continues to fail his family, and despite him preparing for a ‘naya Bharat’, the termites that infect the roots of this existing Bharat, have not really been dealt with.Story continues below this adPinda, played by Udaybir Sandhu, is first introduced as a small-time drug smuggler in Punjab, and 20 years later, he is the biggest drug lord of the country who has joined hands with militants. The system didn’t care for him, and he went astray. Pinda’s return in Jaskirat’s life must make him wonder if his journey until then was even worth it for his country has failed another family member, and this one is beyond being saved.In all these years, Jaskirat has lost touch with his family. Hamza, too, loses his new family. A lonely Jaskirat, who has now lost everything, finds his way back to his village, but is left with a haunting question – where does he even belong? He has been a soldier all his life and was asked to put blinders on, and not ask any questions. So he did. But in the end, his family lost another ‘mard’ for the system failed them yet again.DISCLAIMER: This is a factual analysis and review of a cinematic work; the views expressed are those of the author and do not represent a recommendation or a definitive social commentary. While the film portrays emotional distress and systemic failure, this content is intended for informational and entertainment purposes only.