Dhurandhar: The Revenge, released on March 19, 2026, features one of Bollywood’s most chilling poison sequences. Specifically, Hamza Ali Mazari, played by Ranveer Singh, attempts to poison Dawood Ibrahim, known as Bade Sahab, using a single drop of concentrated mercury. He tries to expose Bade Sahab’s skin to the mercury directly during physical contact. However, Hamza fails in his attempt.
The film then reveals that someone had already succeeded years earlier. Specifically, Jameel Jamali, played by Rakesh Bedi, shows Hamza a photograph of himself shaking hands with Dawood Ibrahim during their first meeting. Furthermore, the film suggests that a single drop of mercury transferred through that handshake slowly poisoned Bade Sahab over time, ultimately leaving him bedridden. Additionally, the end credit scene introduces trainee spies to a capsule of concentrated mercury, with an expert explaining that one drop penetrating the skin triggers symptoms resembling food poisoning.
What Medical Experts Actually Say
Dr Madhukar Bhardwaj, Director and Head of Department of Neurology at Aakash Healthcare, confirmed that mercury is a well-known neurotoxin that significantly affects the brain and nervous system. However, he noted that films frequently dramatise its effects for cinematic impact. Specifically, he acknowledged that mercury acting as a slow poison has some scientific basis, but the cinematic depiction does not always reflect medical reality accurately.
Mercury poisoning can indeed develop gradually under specific conditions. Specifically, chronic exposure to organic mercury compounds like methylmercury causes accumulation in the body over extended periods. Furthermore, early symptoms are subtle and easy to miss, including irritability, fatigue, persistent headaches and difficulty concentrating. Consequently, victims may not connect these early signs to poisoning at all.
As exposure continues, more serious neurological symptoms develop. Additionally, these include tremors, memory problems, mood disturbances and impaired physical coordination. Together, these effects can progressively destroy a person’s quality of life over months or years.
The Problem With the Handshake Scene
However, the specific method shown in Dhurandhar 2 does not align with medical science. Specifically, elemental mercury in liquid form absorbs poorly through intact human skin. Furthermore, the most dangerous route of mercury exposure is actually inhaling its vapours in a confined space, not skin contact. Consequently, a single drop of liquid mercury transferring through a handshake is unlikely to cause severe or fatal poisoning under normal circumstances.
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Dr Bhardwaj explained that mercury toxicity depends on multiple critical factors simultaneously. Specifically, the chemical form of mercury, the route of exposure, the total dose and the duration of contact all determine severity together. Therefore, the idea that one drop triggers a prolonged, fatal poisoning process through a handshake oversimplifies the actual science significantly.
Can Mercury Be Traced in the Body
Mercury is not an untraceable poison, despite what cinema often suggests. Specifically, doctors can detect mercury through blood tests, urine analysis and hair sample examination. Furthermore, neurological examinations and brain imaging can reveal the extent of damage to the nervous system. Consequently, once symptoms begin appearing, medical professionals can identify mercury poisoning through standard laboratory procedures.
Treatment and Recovery
The first step in treating mercury poisoning is removing the patient from any further exposure immediately. Additionally, chelation therapy, which extracts heavy metals from the body, can prove effective in early-stage cases. However, once significant neurological damage develops, some effects may become partially or fully irreversible. Furthermore, early diagnosis dramatically improves outcomes and prevents further progression of symptoms. Together, neurological rehabilitation and supportive treatment play a critical role in recovery for affected patients.
Dr Bhardwaj acknowledged that mercury is genuinely dangerous and capable of causing serious long-term damage. However, its real-world effects connect specifically to sustained exposure and particular pathways rather than dramatic single-contact methods. Currently, the most common real sources of dangerous mercury exposure include contaminated food, industrial environments and improper handling of mercury-containing materials.
Dhurandhar 2 makes for compelling cinema. The science, however, tells a more complex and considerably less cinematic story.
