‘Dhurandhar’ Film’s Release Resurrects Ghost of Lyari: Akshaye Khanna’s Rehman Dakait Reignites Pakistan-Baloch Controversy
The Cinematic Resurrection of Karachi’s Most Feared Gangster
The name Rehman Baloch, once synonymous with the brutal, anarchic heart of Karachi’s Lyari district, has violently surged back into the global spotlight, not through a new criminal action, but via the silver screen. The recent release of the high-budget Indian spy thriller, Dhurandhar, has catapulted the saga of the late Lyari gangster—better known by his moniker Rehman Dakait—from the annals of South Asian crime history onto the center stage of current geopolitical and cultural debate.
Released on December 5, 2025, Dhurandhar (transl. Stalwart) is a fictionalized account that embeds an Indian intelligence mission within the volatile world of Karachi’s gang wars, with a pivotal character, played by veteran actor Akshaye Khanna, starkly modeled on the real-life Sardar Abdul Rehman Baloch. The film’s commercial success and viral scenes have not only crowned it a major entertainment event but have simultaneously ignited a fierce, complex, and highly localized controversy that has seen Pakistanis arguing with Pakistanis over the country’s own reluctance to confront its dark history.
This phenomenon—a Pakistani crime lord becoming the central figure in an Indian blockbuster—is the most significant news development surrounding Rehman Baloch in over a decade, forcing a global reckoning with his legacy and the sociopolitical climate that allowed his criminal empire to flourish.
The Catalyst: Akshaye Khanna’s Chilling Portrayal
Dhurandhar, directed by Aditya Dhar and starring Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna, has generated massive box office returns, recording an impressive global gross in its opening weekend.
While Ranveer Singh leads the narrative as an undercover Indian agent, it is Akshaye Khanna’s chilling, scene-stealing performance as the black-suited gangster, a figure loosely based on Rehman Dakait, that has captured the audience’s imagination and sparked the most intense discussion. The film’s narrative positions Khanna’s character as a major player in Karachi’s criminal-political nexus, detailing his rise from the impoverished gullies of Lyari to a powerful figure courted by political forces.
However, the cinematic liberties taken in the film—specifically the introduction of an Indian spy chief and an overarching intelligence angle—have been the primary points of contention, transforming a hyper-local conflict into a geopolitical thriller. The film’s fictionalized elements, including a plot involving weapons and counterfeit-currency operations tied to an ISI official and a staged ‘encounter’ death, serve as a dramatic, albeit controversial, framework for re-examining the original crime boss’s life and death.
The Cultural and Political Fallout: A ‘Pakistan vs. Pakistan’ Debate
The immediate reaction to Dhurandhar in Pakistan and across the Baloch diaspora was one of divided opinion, quickly morphing into an internal debate over national identity and media representation.
1. The Abdication Critique: Many Pakistani journalists, academics, and social media influencers have expressed a sentiment of regret and anger that an Indian film studio was the one to finally dramatize the complex, violent history of the Lyari Gang War. Content creators noted that the Pakistani film and television industry has long avoided exploring such darker, controversial chapters of its history, preferring ‘safer plots and forgettable romances.’ This failure, critics argue, left a vacuum that was inevitably filled by a narrative—Dhurandhar—which then repurposes a Pakistani tragedy to fit a nationalist Indian espionage script.
2. Baloch Cultural Misrepresentation: The film’s portrayal of Baloch culture has also come under fire. A particularly viral sequence featuring Khanna’s character, set to a Bahraini Arabic-rap track, has been both praised for the actors’ pronunciation of Balochi words and condemned as a jarring misrepresentation. Critics argue that conflating distinct cultural elements—like the difference between Balochi, Arabic, and Persian cultures—is a gross oversimplification, equating the film’s misstep to the historical misrepresentation of the Baloch community by the Pakistani state itself.
3. Factual Inaccuracy vs. Cinematic Truth: While the film draws inspiration from the real-life rivalry between Rehman Dakait, Arshad Pappu, and the police officer Chaudhry Aslam, critics in Karachi have pointed out numerous factual inaccuracies. They vehemently argue that the real-life Lyari gang war was a localized conflict rooted in political party rivalries (namely the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM)) and local criminal groups, asserting that India had no role in the conflict whatsoever. The film’s emphasis on a foreign intelligence angle is widely dismissed as a narrative device that distorts the historical reality.
The Real-Life Saga of Sardar Abdul Rehman Baloch
To understand the controversy, one must look back at the actual life of Sardar Abdul Rehman Baloch (1975–2009), better known as Rehman Dakait.
Rise of a Lyari Don
Born in Lyari, one of Karachi’s oldest and most impoverished neighborhoods, Rehman grew up amidst a culture of gang rule and political neglect. His family was already linked to smuggling, and he entered the criminal world at a very young age. Reports suggest he was involved in his first violent crime—a stabbing—at just 13. By the late 1990s, he had consolidated power following the arrest of his former mentor, Haji Lalu, and became the undisputed king of Lyari’s underworld, controlling networks of extortion, kidnapping, drug smuggling, and illegal arms sales.
His reign was marked by extreme violence. He was controversially alleged to have murdered his own mother, Khadija Bibi, in 1995, suspecting her of cooperating with the police or having ties with a rival gang—a shocking detail that the film alludes to.
The Political Maneuver: People’s Aman Committee
In the final years of his life, Rehman Dakait sought to legitimize his power. Following the PPP’s return to power in 2008, he rebranded himself as Sardar Abdul Rehman Baloch and formed the Peoples’ Aman Committee (PAC).
This organization was officially presented as a community body dedicated to peace and Baloch upliftment, and it was widely seen as an ally of the PPP. Rumors were rampant that Rehman was eyeing a political seat and that his armed men provided security to top PPP leaders, including Asif Ali Zardari. Leaders of the PAC asserted that Rehman’s goal was to stop the violence that had divided the Baloch community, brokering peace with rival gangs.
The Controversial Death in 2009
Before he could fully transition from crime lord to politician, Rehman Dakait’s life was cut short. In August 2009, he and three accomplices were killed in a police ‘encounter’ by the Lyari Task Force, then led by the legendary and controversial officer, Chaudhry Aslam (also a character in Dhurandhar).
Authorities stated he was wanted in over 80 criminal cases. However, the circumstances of his death remain highly contested. Critics, including the PAC chairman, cited autopsy reports suggesting he was fired upon at close range, doubting the official ‘encounter’ narrative. Furthermore, many speculated that the controversial killing was a result of him becoming too ambitious, his political patronage turning sour, or his alleged involvement in supplying arms to the Balochistan Liberation Army. Following his death, the PPP quickly distanced itself from the PAC.
His funeral was one of the largest Lyari had ever witnessed, a testament to his complicated legacy as both a brutal criminal and, to some, a local protector who filled the vacuum of governance.
Legacy Revisited: The Ghost in the Machine
The release of Dhurandhar over a decade after his death has effectively revived the ghost of Rehman Baloch, proving that his story—the intersection of political patronage, organized crime, and ethnic strife—is far from settled. The film serves as a powerful, albeit distorted, mirror to a chapter of Karachi’s history that both the city and the nation have struggled to reconcile with. It has ensured that the complex life and contested death of Sardar Abdul Rehman Baloch will remain a subject of fervent discussion, moving beyond local history to become a defining, and controversial, international cultural touchpoint.
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The Lyari Gang War: A Background to the Bloodshed
The conflict that defined Rehman Baloch’s life and death, the Lyari Gang War, was not just a clash of criminal syndicates; it was a devastating symptom of deeper socio-economic and political ailments. Lyari, despite being a core settlement of Karachi, suffered from chronic neglect, poverty, and unemployment. The resulting vacuum of authority was quickly filled by local strongmen who operated as parallel governments.
The early days of the conflict pitted the gang led by Rehman’s father’s side, which included his uncle Sheru, against rivals like Kala Nag and later, the powerful factions of Iqbal alias Baboo Dakait and Haji Lalu. After Lalu’s arrest in 2001, Rehman’s ascent to the top position cemented the division into two primary, fiercely warring blocs: the one initially aligned with Rehman and the other centered on Lalu and his son, Arshad Pappu.
The gang wars were characterized by unprecedented brutality, leaving thousands dead over the decades. Rehman’s tactical shift from pure criminality to political association, symbolized by the PAC, was an attempt to co-opt the power structures that had initially ignored Lyari. By offering ‘jobs, weapons, and protection to local youth,’ he effectively bought local loyalty while simultaneously demanding political legitimacy. His death, therefore, was not merely the elimination of a criminal but a massive disruption to a delicate, if corrupt, political balance.
The Aftermath: Uzair Baloch’s Succession and Part Two
Rehman’s killing in 2009 did not bring peace to Lyari; instead, it ushered in a new, equally violent chapter. Within weeks, his cousin, Uzair Jan Baloch, was installed as his successor, taking control of both the criminal networks and the political ties to the PPP. Uzair’s leadership was reportedly more bureaucratized than Rehman’s, leading to a period of even deeper and bloodier conflict with the state. This power vacuum and succession forms the basis of the next chapter in the cinematic saga.
Dhurandhar Part 2, slated for release the following year, is set to open with the aftermath of Rehman Dakait’s killing, focusing on the rise of the Hamza character (Ranveer Singh) and the continuation of the Lyari saga under Uzair’s command. The film’s ambitious two-part structure ensures that the specter of Rehman Baloch will continue to loom large over entertainment news and sociopolitical discourse for the foreseeable future.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Q: Who was the real Rehman Baloch (Rehman Dakait)?
A: Sardar Abdul Rehman Baloch (1975–2009) was one of Karachi, Pakistan’s most notorious gangsters, who controlled the Lyari neighborhood for over a decade. He was the chief of a major criminal faction, involved in drug smuggling, extortion, and kidnapping, and later formed the political-criminal group, the Peoples’ Aman Committee (PAC).
Q: How did Rehman Baloch die?
A: He was killed in August 2009 in a controversial police “encounter” by the Karachi Police’s Lyari Task Force. While authorities claimed it was a shootout, critics and his family contested the official narrative, alleging it was a staged murder due to political rivalry or his growing ambition.
Q: Is the film Dhurandhar a true story about Rehman Baloch?
A: No. Dhurandhar is a fictionalized Hindi-language spy action thriller that is loosely based on the events of the Lyari Gang War and its main players. The character played by Akshaye Khanna is modeled on Rehman Dakait, and other characters resemble real figures like police officer Chaudhry Aslam and political personalities. The film adds a major fictional Indian intelligence mission and a cross-border terror network angle, which critics in Pakistan dispute as historically inaccurate.
Q: What was the Peoples’ Aman Committee (PAC)?
A: The PAC was an organization formed by Rehman Baloch in 2008 under his new name, Sardar Abdul Rehman Baloch. It was officially touted as a community organization for peace and upliftment in Lyari but was widely regarded as the political front and armed wing of his criminal gang, aligned with the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
Q: Why is Dhurandhar causing a ‘Pakistan vs. Pakistan’ debate?
A: The debate stems from the fact that an Indian film is telling a dark, unaddressed chapter of Pakistani history (the Lyari Gang War). The controversy includes critiques of factual inaccuracy, alleged misrepresentation of Baloch culture, and Pakistani critics expressing frustration that their own domestic film industry failed to create a serious work on the subject first.
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