Actor Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar: The Revenge (Dhurandhar 2), which took global theatres by storm upon its release on March 19, achieved historic blockbuster status by crushing records worldwide. Grossing over ₹1,800 crore across the globe, the action extravaganza cemented its position as the second-highest-grossing Indian film of all time. However, the immense goodwill surrounding the film quickly soured online after its highly anticipated digital debut turned into an absolute user-experience nightmare.
After a grueling wait for home viewers, the film finally made its way to the unified OTT platform JioHotstar for a grand digital premiere starting June 4. But instead of deploying the standard “on-demand” drop that streaming users pay for, the platform made the bizarre choice to launch the multi-crore film via a scheduled, linear livestream. The decision triggered immediate confusion and immediate rage across social media platforms.
Technical Glitches & Social Media Backlash
Furious cinephiles took to X (formerly Twitter) to voice their frustration, pointing out that streaming platforms exist specifically to bypass the rigid, unpausable nature of traditional television broadcasting. The platform’s choice severely limited user control, rendering basic features like pausing, rewinding, or resuming completely useless.
Voices from the Stream
“Could’ve simply released #Dhurandhar2TheRevenge as it is without the drama of this live-streaming premiere and people could’ve enjoyed it,” complained one fan.
Another user fiercely tagged the platform, demanding answers: “@JioHotstar which drunken monkey thought live streaming Dhurandhar the revenge was a wise idea? And post live stream, the movie isn’t available. WTF.”
“JioHotstar totally hopeless experience watching dhurandhar 2. You are forcing us to watch live. If paused and come back, it doesn’t appear where we left. Real headache,” noted a frustrated subscriber.
The loudest complaints stemmed from a massive post-stream blunder: once the linear digital broadcast concluded, the movie vanished from the app completely, leaving latecomers and working individuals entirely unable to search for or access the content.
Understanding the Plot: The Return of Jaskirat Singh Rangi
The massive frenzy surrounding the film makes the digital rollout failure sting even worse for fans. Dhurandhar 2 dives straight back into the high-stakes world of undercover agent Jaskirat Singh Rangi (Ranveer Singh). Deeply embedded within the treacherous criminal underworld under his high-profile alias, Hamza Ali Mazari, the sequel charts his dangerous rise to absolute power.
| Character Name | Played By | Narrative Arc & Status in Part 2 |
| Jaskirat Singh Rangi / Hamza | Ranveer Singh | Ascends as the new Sher-e-Baloch and the king of Lyari after a ruthless underworld takeover. |
| Rahman Dakait | Akshaye Khanna | Eliminated in the climax of the first film, triggering the power vacuum for Part 2. |
| Antagonist Enablers | R Madhavan & Sanjay Dutt | Formidable powerhouse forces operating from the shadows of the cartel. |
With an expansive ensemble cast featuring heavyweights like Arjun Rampal, Gaurav Gera, Rakesh Bedi, Sara Arjun, and Manav Gohil, the film’s intense Lyari-based cartel story had promised to be the biggest home-streaming event of the year. Instead, JioHotstar’s experimental premiere format has left a bitter taste in the mouths of paying subscribers nationwide.