If the grounded espionage and moral complexity of Dhurandhar kept you on the edge of your seat, the holiday season presents a perfect opportunity to delve deeper into the world of intelligence dramas. Moving beyond mere flashy action, the following selection of films and series explores the real human cost of covert operations—the immense patience, personal sacrifice, and psychological strain endured by those living in the shadows.
Indian Espionage Gems: Stories Rooted in Strategy and Sacrifice
Indian creators have produced remarkable spy narratives that blend real-world events with compelling human drama. A prime example is Special Ops, an espionage thriller series created by Neeraj Pandey for Disney+ Hotstar. The plot follows Himmat Singh, a veteran R&AW agent portrayed by Kay Kay Menon, who is convinced a single mastermind is behind terror attacks spanning nearly two decades. He assembles a covert team of five operatives across different countries, patiently piecing together clues from locations like Delhi, Dubai, Jordan, Azerbaijan, and Turkey. The series emphasizes the craft of intelligence work over spectacle and has spawned multiple seasons, including Special Ops 1.5: The Himmat Story.
Another critically acclaimed entry is the film Raazi, available on Prime Video. Starring Alia Bhatt as Sehmat Khan, it is based on Harinder Sikka’s novel Calling Sehmat. The story follows a young woman who marries a Pakistani army officer to go undercover for India during the 1971 war. The film is celebrated for its emotional depth, exploring the moral conflicts and immense psychological toll of living a double life behind enemy lines.
For a look at political espionage, the 2024 film Article 370, produced by Aditya Dhar (director of Dhurandhar), is a compelling watch. It follows an intelligence officer and a bureaucrat navigating the covert challenges around a major constitutional change in India. The film focuses on strategic intelligence, legal intricacies, and war-room intensity.
History-inspired espionage is brought to life in Mukhbir: The Story of a Spy on ZEE5. This eight-episode series, based on Maloy Krishna Dhar’s book and starring Prakash Raj and Adil Hussain, portrays an undercover agent's contributions during the 1965 India-Pakistan war, highlighting the personal risks and isolation of spy work.
The 2024 Hindi-language thriller Berlin, directed by Atul Sabharwal and available on ZEE5, offers a unique take. It centres on a deaf-mute man suspected of being a foreign spy, using silence and sign language to build a tense, psychological narrative around communication and interrogation.
Global Spy Narratives: High-Stakes Operations and Internal Betrayals
International series offer a wider lens on the gritty realities of intelligence work. The Israeli series Tehran on Apple TV+ follows a Mossad hacker and field agent on a dangerous undercover mission in Iran's capital. It blends high-stakes espionage with political drama, praised for its sharp pacing and grounded depiction of covert operations within a fraught geopolitical landscape.
Another standout Israeli series is Fauda, streaming on Netflix. Created by Lior Raz and Avi Issacharoff, it offers a gritty, ground-level view of an elite Israeli unit operating covertly in Palestinian territories. The show, with dialogue primarily in Hebrew and Arabic, balances intense action with an intimate look at the psychological strain on agents and the human cost of conflict across its multiple seasons.
From South Korea, the film Hunt, available on Prime Video and Viki, delves into internal betrayal. Starring Lee Jung-jae and Jung Woo-sung, it revolves around two senior intelligence chiefs tasked with uncovering a mole within their own agency. The film is praised for its intelligent plotting, relentless pacing, and dense narrative of double-crosses and shifting loyalties.
Why These Spy Stories Resonate
Each of these titles shares Dhurandhar's core focus on strategic realism and human consequence. They move past heroic posturing to examine the patience, sacrifice, and profound psychological strain inherent in a life of secrets. Whether rooted in real historical events like Raazi and Mukhbir, or exploring contemporary geopolitical tensions like Tehran and Fauda, they all prioritize the cerebral and emotional aspects of espionage.
For viewers who appreciated the moral complexity and high-stakes intelligence drama of Dhurandhar, this curated list provides a deep and satisfying dive into the shadowy world of spies, where every decision carries weight and the true battle is often fought within.
