Dhaakad

Dhaakad
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRazneesh Razy Ghai
Screenplay byRazy Ghai
Rajiv Menon[1]
Story byRazy Ghai
Chintan Gandhi
Rinish Ravindra
Produced byDeepak Mukut
Sohel Maklai
Starring
CinematographyTetsuo Nagata
Edited byRameshwar S. Bhagat
Music byShankar–Ehsaan–Loy
Dhruv Ghanekar
Badshah
Hiten Kumar
Production
companies
Sohum Rockstar Entertainment
Sohel Maklai Productions
Asylum Films
Distributed byZee Studios
Release date
  • 20 May 2022 (2022-05-20)[2]
Running time
131 minutes[3]
CountryIndia
LanguageHindi
Budgetest. ₹85 crore[4]
Box officeest. ₹3.77 crore[5]

Dhaakad (transl. Formidable) is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language action film[6] directed by Razneesh Ghai and produced by Deepak Mukut and Sohel Maklai. It stars Kangana Ranaut, alongside Arjun Rampal, Divya Dutta and Saswata Chatterjee.[7]

Dhaakad was released on 20 May 2022 and became a box-office bomb.[8][9][10][11]

Plot

Agni, a ruthless agent at the International Task Force (ITF), is sent to India to eliminate Rudraveer, a coal mafiaso involved in the arms trade and human trafficking. However, Agni's mission becomes personal when she discovers a bitter truth that connects her to Rudraveer.

Cast

Production

Development

Dhaakad was announced on 20 October 2020. Kangana shared her various looks from the film. Kangana wrote on Instagram, "She is fierce, feisty and fearless. #AgentAgni is all geared up to set the big screen on fire.[15] In an interview Kangana said, "Dhaakad is not only a benchmark film for my career but will be a turning point for Indian cinema as well. The film is mounted on a large scale, and is one of a kind female-led action film."

Training

The actors appearing in the film as Agents, including Ranaut, underwent training for over three months.[16]

Filming

Principal photography began on 15 January 2021.[17] It has been shot in Betul, Madhya Pradesh and Budapest. Razneesh Razy Ghai, the director of the film wrote on his Instagram account, "The producers and I were insistent that we hire key members of the team from other film industries. When you want your film to have high-octane action, you have to go above and beyond. For key sequences, we roped in action directors from the United States, South Korea, Canada and South Africa. Hitz international action specialists, as well as Cameron Hilts and Sea-young Oh. The Indian stunt team was on par with our international collaborators."[18] The filming was completed on 8 July 2021.[19]

Soundtrack

Dhaakad
Soundtrack album by
Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, Dhruv Ghanekar, Badshah and Hiten Kumar
Released17 May 2022[20]
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length25:53
LanguageHindi<!-english link per WP:OL-->
LabelSRE Music
Official audio
Dhaakad - Full Audio Songs Jukebox on YouTube

The film's soundtrack is composed by Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy and Dhruv Ghanekar while the lyrics are written by Amitabh Bhattacharya and Ishitta Arun.[20]

No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."She's On Fire"Badshah, Hiten KumarBadshah, Nikhita Gandhi2:45
2."Namonishan"Amitabh BhattacharyaNikhita Gandhi, Shankar Mahadevan4:20
3."So Ja Re"Ishitta ArunSunidhi Chauhan, Hariharan5:13
4."Babul"TraditionalRicha Sharma3:43
5."Barood"Amitabh BhattacharyaSunidhi Chauhan4:12
6."Dhaakad Title Song"Ishitta ArunVasundhara Vee5:40
Total length:25:53

Release

Theatrical

Dhaakad was released theatrically on 20 May 2022 along with Kartik Aaryan starrer Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2.[2] The film was initially scheduled for a Diwali (November) 2020 release but due to the COVID-19 pandemic the film got postponed.[21] The film was postponed again and a new release date, 8 April 2022, was announced on 18 October 2021.[22]

Distribution

The film was distributed by Zee Studios.[23]

Home media

The film premiered on 1 July 2022 on ZEE5 under subscription but, during the ZEE5 Manoranjan Festival it was made free on air till 1 January 2023.[24]

Reception

Critical response

Shalini Langer of The Indian Express gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote "A slick action film that is also coherent – Kangana Ranaut-Divya Dutta-Arjun Rampal film is an achievement."[25] Rachana Dubey of The Times Of India gave 3/5 stars and wrote "It would have been great if along with the superb action and terrific visuals, the story, too, could have packed a punch."[26] Sonil Dedhia of News 18 gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Kangana Ranaut's solid performance in 'Dhaakad' combined with high-impact stunt work puts a stamp on her as a formidable female action star."[27] Pooja Biraia Jaiswal of The Week gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Dhaakad is a popcorn film; an almost-edge-of-the-seat action thriller led by an able cast, spectacular action sequences and meticulous execution."[28] Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in gave 2/5 stars and wrote "Dhaakad makes little effort to credibly localise its themes."[29]

Bharathi Pradhan of Lehren gave 1.5/5 stars and wrote "Dhaakad is singularly unimaginative in its presentation and execution."[30] Sukanya Verma of Rediff gave 2/5 stars and wrote "Kangana Ranaut ticks off all the boxes of the poker-faced spy model in Dhakaad, but the movie needs real rescuing".[31] Bollywood Hungama gave 1.5/5 stars and wrote "Dhaakad is all style and no substance and fails to deliver entertainment value."[32] Anna M.M. Vetticad of Firstpost gave 0.5/5 stars and wrote "Dhaakad is marred by extremely violent scenes, vacuous writing, dull direction and is boring-as-hell."[33] Swati Chopra of The Quint gave 1/5 stars and wrote, "Dhaakad's stunt choreography and camera work by Tetsua Nahata is impressive and that's what makes the film somewhat bearable."[34]

Box office

Dhaakad was a major box office bomb, with most of its shows discontinued from cinemas within one week of release.[35][36][37][38][39]

References

  1. ^ "'Dhaakad' teaser: Kangana goes all out in an action packed role!". Tupaki. 12 April 2022. Retrieved 21 September 2023.
  2. ^ a b "Kangana Ranaut's 'Dhaakad' to release on May 20". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 13 April 2022. Retrieved 13 April 2022.
  3. ^ "Kangana Ranaut starrer Dhaakad passed with A certificate by censor board". Bollywood Hungama. 17 May 2022. Archived from the original on 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  4. ^ "Dhaakad Movie (2022) -Indian Express". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 15 June 2022. Retrieved 1 June 2022.
  5. ^ Hungama, Bollywood (20 May 2022). "Dhaakad Box Office Collection | India | Day Wise | Box Office - Bollywood Hungama". Bollywood Hungama. Archived from the original on 21 May 2022. Retrieved 21 May 2022.
  6. ^ "Dhaakad". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 20 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  7. ^ "Kangana Ranaut's Fierce Look In Dhaakad Will Leave You Excited, Movie To Release On THIS Date". news18.com. 28 February 2022. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 8 April 2022.
  8. ^ "Dhaakad Is One Of The Biggest Disasters Of All Time - Box Office India". Box Office India. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  9. ^ "Kangana Ranaut begins work on next film after Dhaakad's box office failure: 'I am most comfortable being a filmmaker'". Hindustan Times. 30 May 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  10. ^ "Dhaakad box office collection Day 2: Kangana Ranaut-starrer is a huge disaster". The Indian Express. 22 May 2022. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  11. ^ "Dhaakad is a colossal flop, bringing down Kangana's box-office cred even further". The Telegraph (India). Retrieved 8 March 2023.
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  13. ^ "Dhaakad: Divya Dutta shares her character Rohini's first look, calls her 'menacing'". Hindustan Times. 20 January 2021. Archived from the original on 20 January 2021. Retrieved 20 January 2021.
  14. ^ "Mihir Ahuja: 'Talent deserves to be given a chance and Zoya is doing just that'". Moneycontrol. 12 June 2022. Retrieved 20 August 2022.
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  20. ^ a b "Dhaakad – Original Motion Picture Soundtrack". Jiosaavn. 19 May 2022. Archived from the original on 22 May 2022. Retrieved 20 May 2022.
  21. ^ "Kangana Ranaut's Dhaakad postponed indefinitely due to coronavirus scare". Filmfare. 30 April 2020. Archived from the original on 5 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
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