Delusion remains India’s top export, hands down.
Bans Abroad, Cheers at Home
Politics doesn’t stop at the border. Dhurandhar was banned in Pakistan and reportedly restricted in parts of the Gulf over its depiction of covert operations on Pakistani soil. Yet pirated copies spread rapidly—ironically expanding the film’s reach into the very communities it portrays.
That paradox sharpened the divide: domestic commercial dominance paired with regional outrage. For supporters, box-office numbers became validation. For critics, the bans became proof. Both sides claimed vindication.
Lyari Reacts: Offense First, Admiration Second
Criticism and Offense (dominant local sentiment)
Among Lyari residents, Karachi journalists, and broader Pakistani audiences, the dominant reaction was anger.
Many argued the film distorts reality, exaggerating or fabricating links between Lyari gangs, terrorism, and the ISI—flattening a complex socio-political history into a crime-terror caricature.
Locals objected to Lyari being stereotyped as a perpetual hub of violence, erasing its culture, sports legacy, and resilience.
The glorification of a real gangster also unsettled viewers. Akshaye Khanna’s portrayal of Rehman Dakait—stylish, dominant, charismatic—was compared to hypothetically glorifying Dawood Ibrahim. Swagger without moral reckoning.
The Sindh government (PPP-led) publicly condemned the film as “negative propaganda” and announced a counter-narrative film, Mera Lyari (January 2026), to present Lyari’s “true face” of peace, talent, and community strength.
