Sooryavanshi is a 2021 Indian Hindi-language action film written and directed by Rohit Shetty and produced by Reliance Entertainment, Rohit Shetty Picturez, Dharma Productions and Cape of Good Films. The fourth installment of Shetty’s Cop Universe, Sooryavanshi stars Akshay Kumar in the title role as ATS chief DCP Veer Sooryavanshi opposite Katrina Kaif, with Ajay Devgn and Ranveer Singh also returning as Singham and Simmba. Jackie Shroff, Gulshan Grover, Nikitin Dheer, Sikandar Kher, Abhimanyu Singh and Kumud Mishra play the antagonists while Jaaved Jaaferi, Vivan Bhatena and Niharica Raizada in supporting roles. Kumar’s character was announced towards the end of Simmba (2018) that served as a character introduction.
Sooryavanshi initially locked to release on 24 March 2020 and then 2021, it was postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic in India. After several delays, it finally released theatrically on 5 November 2021 coinciding with Diwali.
Sooryavanshi opens with the 1993 Mumbai blasts, where Veer “Surya” Sooryavanshi loses his parents. Bilal Ahmed, the blasts’ mastermind seeks refuge with dreaded terrorist Omar Hafeez at POK, as they begin planning more such attacks. Omar’s son Riyaaz has formed a sleeper cell network consisting of 40 terrorists who pose as Indians, aiming to conduct more bombings after the 26/11 attacks. Away in Jaisalmer, Surya and his team nab Riyaaz who was hiding his identity. Joint CP and Surya’s senior officer Kabir Shroff, who was the only person able to fully solve the case, reveals that about a full ton of RDX was brought to India, of which 400 kgs were used during the 1993 bombings and the remnant 600 kgs are still buried somewhere in the country.
Surya, now DCP and ATS chief, plans to catch the sleeper cell’s remaining members. He also tries to reconcile with his estranged wife Dr. Ria Gupta, with whom he parted ways due to a misunderstanding, but to no avail. Surya comes across Islamic priest Kader Usmani, in fact a terrorist and Bilal’s aide. Usmani meets Bilal, whose residence in Sawantwadi houses the wanted 600 kgs of RDX. They remove the buried RDX and prepare for the next bombings. Bilal reaches Mumbai with the help of taxi driver John Mascarenhas who left for Bangkok. Surya catches Bilal, who confesses that he undertook the bombings as an act of vengeance for his family being killed in communal riots and shoots himself to death.
Later, John is apprehended in Bangkok post a long chase between him and Surya, who learns that the bombs were being made by another member of the sleeper cell. Usmani and John are arrested; Surya plans to pretend to torture Usmani’s daughters to make him confess. Usmani finally reveals that Riyaaz will meet him at his aide Rafique’s residence. A suicidal bomb planted there kills Usmani, whose elder daughter helps in identifying the bombmaker Mukhtar Ansari, who is hiding in Shivgarh. Surya sends Inspector Sangram “Simmba” Bhalerao to arrest him. Simmba tells Surya that 7 bombs are to be planted at 7 locations in Mumbai. Riyaaz escapes, and it is revealed that the ATS’s headquarters would also be bombed.
Surya and his team enlist NSG’s help to safely extradite the bombs via helicopters and the bombings get botched. However, Riyaaz and his team use Ria as a suicide bomber to attack the ATS headquarters keeping Surya, Simmba and the other cops as hostages. Surya’s friend DCP Bajirao Singham arrives and they defuse the bomb wrapped around Ria while killing all the terrorists. They capture Mukhtar, Riyaaz and his younger brother Raza who taunt Singham, Simmba, and Surya that they have been in India as sleeper cells for many years, carrying several attacks in Mumbai, and that the police cannot harm them. An enraged Singham, Simmba, and Surya shoot them to death, thus bringing peace in Mumbai.
Directed by Rohit Shetty
Screenplay by Yunus Sajawal
Story by Rohit Shetty
Produced by Hiroo Yash Johar, Aruna Bhatia, Karan Johar, Apoorva Mehta & Rohit Shetty
Starring Akshay Kumar, Katrina Kaif, Jackie Shroff
Cinematography Jomon T. John
Edited by Bunty Nagi
Music by Amar Mohile
Production Reliance Entertainment, Rohit Shetty Picturez, Dharma Productions & Cape of Good Films
Distributed by Reliance Entertainment & PVR Pictures
Release date 5 November 2021
Running time 145 minutes
Country India
Language Tamil
