The trailer for Ranveer Singh’s upcoming film Dhurandhar has drawn criticism in both Pakistan and India for its portrayal of Karachi’s Lyari area and historical figures.
Directed by Aditya Dhar, the film features Ranveer Singh as an Indian spy stationed in Lyari. The trailer also shows Arjun Rampal as Major Iqbal, nicknamed the “Angel of Death,” and Akshay Khanna as the infamous criminal Rahman Daku, labeled “Apex Predator.” Sanjay Dutt appears as Karachi’s renowned counter-terror officer Chaudhry Aslam, referred to as “The Jinn.”
Critics have questioned the accuracy of the depiction, noting that Rahman Daku and Chaudhry Aslam were primarily involved in gang wars and police encounters in Karachi, not the broader spy-war scenarios suggested in the film. The trailer also makes ambiguous references to historical events like the 1999 Kandahar hijacking.
On social media, Indian viewers criticized the film for “fake nationalism,” historical inaccuracies, and an incoherent storyline, with some sarcastically noting that Bollywood had taken its narrative all the way to Lyari. Many users said the trend reflects a tendency to turn real historical figures into Pakistan-focused propaganda due to a shortage of original scripts.
