Year Ender 2025: Dhurandhar To The Family Man; Spy Thrillers We All Loved

From covert missions to high-octane action and geopolitical tension, 2025 has been a powerhouse year for spy thrillers. Initially, it was War 2 and The Family Man 3, which left the audience impressed.

But as the year came to an end, Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar also stunned everyone and received an overwhelming response. As the Aditya Dhar directorial continues to rule the box office, let’s take a look at five standout spy thrillers of 2025 that dominated conversations and screens alike.

Dhurandhar
Directed by Aditya Dha, Dhurandhar stood out for its cerebral approach to espionage, driven by a narrative that relied more on psychological tension than spectacle. Anchored by Ranveer Singh’s rooted portrayal and Akshaye Khanna’s chilling performance, the creators crafted a spy thriller that was intense, layered, and unsettling, proving that silence and subtlety can be just as powerful as action.

War 2
Backed by Yash Raj Films, War 2 embraced scale, speed, and stylised action. The creators expanded the franchise’s global ambitions with slick set pieces and high-octane missions, making it one of the year’s biggest theatrical spy spectacles and reinforcing the commercial power of the genre.

The Family Man (Season 3)
Creators Raj & DK returned with a sharper, darker and more politically charged season of The Family Man. Balancing humour with high-stakes intelligence operations, Season 3 expanded the show’s geopolitical canvas while staying rooted in its human conflicts, reaffirming why the duo remains at the forefront of India’s spy-thriller storytelling.

Raktabeej 2
With Raktabeej 2, Nandita Roy and Shiboprosad Mukherjee elevated the political thriller space in Bengali cinema. Rooted in India–Bangladesh tensions, the film blended intelligence operations with emotional depth and mass appeal, proving that regional cinema can deliver spy thrillers that resonate pan-India.

Saare Jahan Se Accha
Gaurav Shukla and Sumit Purohit of Saare Jahan Se Accha focused on realism, presenting espionage through the lens of duty, sacrifice, and moral conflict. The film avoided gloss and spectacle, opting instead for a restrained narrative that highlighted the unseen emotional costs of intelligence work.