Ranveer Singh's spy thriller Dhurandhar has turned into one of Bollywood's more compelling streaming stories - not just because of its content, but because of the fractured way audiences must piece together the full duology. Part one has landed on Netflix, while its sequel, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, is heading to Hotstar (JioHotstar), splitting a single narrative arc across two competing platforms and two potentially different regional access points.
What the Dhurandhar Duology Is Actually About
Directed by Aditya Dhar - the filmmaker behind Uri: The Surgical Strike - the Dhurandhar films follow RAW agent Hamza Ali Mazari, also known as Jaskirat Singh Rangi, played by Ranveer Singh. The first film drops the character into the Karachi underworld on a deep-cover mission. The second installment, The Revenge, rewinds into Jaskirat's origins, tracing the family trauma that placed him on death row, while simultaneously advancing his present-day mission to dismantle a Pakistani terror network from within.
The structure - personal vendetta woven through a geopolitical operation - sits firmly within a tradition of Indian spy cinema that gained significant mainstream traction after URI in 2019. That film, also directed by Dhar, demonstrated that the genre could carry both commercial weight and a certain emotional specificity. Dhurandhar extends that template into serialised storytelling, which makes the platform split a genuine inconvenience for viewers who want the complete experience.
The Streaming Split and What It Means for Viewers
Netflix secured Dhurandhar Part 1 through a high-value deal with Jio Studios. The sequel's placement on Hotstar reflects the increasingly competitive landscape among Indian streaming platforms, where exclusive content is the primary currency for subscriber retention. For viewers outside India, this creates a compounded problem: Hotstar's content library varies significantly by region, and its full catalogue is most accessible via an Indian IP address.
This is where a VPN becomes a practical, not merely theoretical, tool. By routing your connection through a server in a supported region, a VPN allows access to geo-restricted streaming libraries. It also encrypts browsing data and can reduce buffering caused by ISP throttling during high-demand streaming sessions. Two options worth considering are ExpressVPN, which operates across more than 3,000 servers worldwide and is built for stable HD and 4K streaming, and VeePN, which offers broader affordability across a network of more than 2,600 servers. Other well-regarded alternatives include NordVPN, Surfshark, CyberGhost, and Private Internet Access, each with distinct strengths around speed, privacy, and device compatibility.
The Censorship Question and the Runtime Discrepancy
Beyond the platform split, a secondary controversy has followed Dhurandhar's streaming debut. Viewers noticed that the Netflix version runs approximately nine minutes shorter than the theatrical cut, with certain dialogues appearing muted and profanity edited out. The original runtime sits close to three hours and thirty-four minutes; Netflix's version clocks in near three hours and twenty-five minutes.
The production team, via Pinkvilla, stated clearly that no edits or cuts were made for the OTT release, and that the delivered version fully complies with Netflix's standards. Industry reporting suggests the discrepancy traces back to a court-ordered modification applied to the theatrical print in early 2026 - meaning Netflix is simply distributing the legally approved version of the film, not a separately censored cut.
The distinction matters. If Netflix is broadcasting the court-modified version rather than an independently censored one, the edited runtime is not the platform's decision. Viewers who want the film in its original, unmodified form may still find a VPN useful, depending on which regional version of the file is available in other markets. For those unbothered by a nine-minute difference, Part 1 is fully watchable on Netflix right now - and worth seeing before The Revenge makes its own streaming arrival on Hotstar.
