To counter Dhurandhar, Pakistan announces new film ‘Mera Layari’, claims Aditya Dhar’s film misrepresents Karachi neighbourhood
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "To counter Dhurandhar, Pakistan announces new film ‘Mera Layari’, claims Aditya Dhar’s film misrepresents Karachi neighbourhood")
Dhurandhar Photograph: (X)
Dhurandhar, Aditya Dhar's latest film, may not have been released in Pakistan, but it has offended many in the country. The depiction of Lyari neighbourhood in Karachi in the film has not been taken well particularly and now Pakistan has announced a new film to counter Dhurandhar.
Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar has been ruling the box office ever since its December 5 release. The film is directed by Aditya Dhar and features Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal and Sanjay Dutt in key roles. The film is set in Karachi’s Lyari neighbourhood between 1999-2009. The film, a spy thriller, has stirred controversy in Pakistan even though the film has not been released in the country. The depiction of Pakistan and particularly Lyari town has reportedly offended authorities in Sindh, and the Sindh Information Department has decided to respond to Dhurandhar’s anti-Pakistan story with its own film, Mera Layari, which will aim at presenting the ‘real’ story of Lyari.
Pakistan announces its own film to counter Dhurandhar
Dhurandhar gives a deep look at the mafia network that operates from the Lyari neighbourhood, which has links to ISI. The film’s plot involves Ranveer, part of Indian intelligence, infiltrating a dreaded gang in Lyari headed by Akshaye Khanna.
The film has obviously not gone down well with many Pakistanis. The official handle of the Sindh Information Department shared two posters of Mera Layari and wrote, “Misrepresentation cannot erase reality. Lyari stands for culture, peace, and resilience—not violence. While Dhurandhar spreads propaganda, Mera Layari will soon tell the authentic story of pride and prosperity.”
The department further announced that the film will release in January 2026, adding that “Indian propaganda against Lyari will never be successful.”
About Sindh Information Department
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The Sindh Information Department is a provincial government entity in Sindh, Pakistan. Its primary role is to ensure effective and strategic media coverage of government activities through both electronic and print platforms.
About Lyari
According to reports, Lyari comprises some of Karachi’s poorest settlements, where crime has historically thrived amid an alleged nexus between gangs and law enforcement. Rehman Dakait- played by Akshaye Khanna in the film- was born in the Lyari neighbourhood. Born to a drug peddler dad and his second wife, Rahman took to crime from an early age, soon becoming head of a crime network.
Lyari’s history
The neighbourhood is believed to be Karachi’s oldest neighbourhood. Its residents often call Lyari the ‘Mother of Karachi’. Lyari word is derived frm Sidhi work Iyar – a tree which once grew along the banks of the Lyari River. According to reports, the area was inhabited by Sindhi fishermen and Baloch nomads. Before the partition, Lyari was known to be a predominantly Muslim area, whereas the rest of Karachi was inhabited bythe Hindu population.
During the British rule, the neighbourhood did not see much development as colonial development focused on the port and the eastern part of Karachi.
It has had a long-standing history of crime. The area’s first criminal gangs began to take root in the 1960s. The 1970s saw the emergence of a vibrant local music scene known as “Lyari Disco,” even as the neighbourhood increasingly became a hub for drug trafficking.
Situation only worsened in the subsequent years, and in the 1980s and 1990s, Lyari’s gangsters became closely intertwined with local politics.
