Story
Dhaakad opens
in
Budapest
where
Agent
Agni
aka
Dragonfly
(Kangana
Ranaut)
is
assigned
a
task
to
rescue
a
bunch
of
trafficked
girls.
Despite
losing
her
partner,
code-named
Seagull,
in
an
ambush,
Agni
succeeds
in
her
mission.
With
a
horrific
past
of
her
own
repressed
in
her
memories,
Agni
reluctantly
flies
down
to
India
upon
the
insistence
of
her
mentor-cum-intel
chief
Ringmaster
(Saswata
Chatterjee)
to
nab
Rudraveer
(Arjun
Rampal),
the
mastermind
behind
the
international
trafficking
cartel
and
the
coal
mafia.
He
has
been
off
the
radar
for
several
years,
and
Agni
takes
it
upon
herself
to
hunt
him
down.
She
also
strikes
an
unusual
friendship
with
one
of
her
aide's
daughter
Zaira.
Rudraveer
along
with
his
girlfriend
and
business
partner
Rohini
(Divya
Dutta)
continue
to
create
havoc
with
their
illegal
activities
and
brutal
atrocities.
On
the
other
hand,
Agni
soon
turns
into
a
killing
machine,
going
all
guns
blazing,
slashing
and
leaving
behind
heap
of
dead
bodies.
Will
she
finally
put
an
end
to
merciless
Rudraveer's
growing
empire
spreading
its
vicious
wings
across
the
globe?
Direction
Dhaakad
might
come
across
a
solid
one-liner
idea
on
paper
but
writers
Razneesh
Ghai
and
Chintan
Gandhi
fail
to
pen
an
engrossing
story.
The
haphazard
screenplay
is
one
of
the
biggest
drawbacks
of
this
espionage
thriller.
The
constant
fleeting
of
the
narrative
between
Budapest
and
India
is
a
major
distraction.
Instead
of
a
watertight,
slick
outing,
director
Razneesh
Ghai
offers
you
a
film
which
appears
more
like
random
action
sequences
strewn
together.
Even
Kangana's
character's
backstory
lacks
an
emotional
connect
to
strike
a
chord.
The
clunky
execution
adds
more
to
the
damage.
As
things
get
more
and
more
ridiculous
especially
in
the
last
half
an
hour
or
so,
you
wonder
if
this
is
what
you
had
signed
up
for!
Performances
Even
a
fine
talent
like
Kangana
Ranaut
can't
save
this
film
from
being
a
colossal
disappointment.
The
flimsy
script
barely
gives
her
a
chance
to
breath
fire
in
her
role.
Except
a
couple
of
action
scenes
where
she
amazes
you
with
her
flexibility
and
clean
moves,
there
isn't
much
to
take
away
from
her
character.
Arjun
Rampal
oozes
swag
and
deadliness
in
the
flashback
portions.
However,
in
the
latter
scenes,
he
turns
into
a
blond-haired,
lullaby-singing
villain
who
chooses
to
talk
in
hoarse
whispers.
Not
so
cool!
Divya
Dutta
as
Arjun
Rampal's
partner-in-crime
is
reduced
to
a
garish
caricature
who
hardly
sends
a
shiver
down
the
spine.
Sharib
Hashmi
and
his
annoying
Bhopali
accent
are
forgettable.
Technical
Aspects
Japanese
cinematographer
Tetsuo
Nagata's
camerawork
is
the
only
silver
lining
of
Dhaakad.
With
the
brilliant
hues
of
red,
blue,
grey
and
green,
he
builds
up
a
fantasy
world
of
blood,
gore
and
guns.
Dhruv
Ghanekar's
background
score
is
jarring.
Music
The
Dhaakad
title
song
lends
adrenaline
rush
in
spurts.
'So
Ja
Re'
makes
so
many
appearances
that
you
fear
that
it
would
really
put
you
to
sleep.
The
rest
of
the
songs
are
run-of-the-mill.
Verdict
In
one
of
the
scenes
in
the
film,
Arjun
Rampal's
Rudraveer
says,
"Katputliyaa
hai
hum
sab
dor
upar
wale
ke
haath
mein
hai
abhi
bhi".
No
wonder,
Razneesh
Ghai's
amateurish
execution
reduces
Kangana
Ranaut's
film
to
a
blank
shell.