The much-anticipated Bollywood spy thriller, Dhurandhar, finally opened in theatres across India on Friday, 5 November. Its release followed months of intense debate and speculation regarding the real-life inspirations behind its plot and characters, which draw from significant events in India's security history.
The Controversy and Clearance
Prior to its release, a significant portion of the discussion focused on whether the film's narrative mirrored the life of the late Major Mohit Sharma. However, the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) reviewed the content and cleared the film after confirming there was no direct overlap with the officer's story. Subsequently, the Delhi High Court also allowed the film's release to proceed, paving the way for its theatrical debut.
Plot and Central Characters
The film's synopsis places the action against the backdrop of two major national security incidents: the IC-814 hijacking and the 2001 Parliament attack. The story centres on Ajay Sanyal (played by R. Madhavan), the chief of the Intelligence Bureau. Sanyal devises a covert plan aimed at dismantling a terror network operating from Pakistan.
To execute this dangerous mission, he recruits a 20-year-old inmate from Punjab, who is jailed for a revenge killing. Seeing raw potential in the young man, Sanyal begins to mould him into a skilled operative capable of infiltrating the dangerous ganglands of Karachi, specifically the Lyari area.
Star-Studded Cast Brings Real Figures to Life
Ranveer Singh plays the lead role of the undercover officer who must navigate the complex factions of Lyari. His character moves between rival criminal groups, meticulously mapping their alliances and enmities. This character's journey forms the emotional and action core of the infiltration storyline, directly linking the local gang conflict to larger cross-border intelligence operations.
R. Madhavan's character, Ajay Sanyal, bears noticeable similarities to the former National Security Advisor, Ajit Doval. In the film, he functions as the senior strategist guiding the entire high-stakes mission.
Akshaye Khanna steps into the role of Rehman Dakait, a character inspired by the notorious gang leader who dominated Lyari for decades. Dakait's rise was fueled by brutal turf wars that escalated old family rivalries, and his clashes with competing factions defined much of the area's violence in the 1990s and 2000s. The real Dakait was arrested, later escaped custody, and was eventually killed in a police encounter in 2009.
Sanjay Dutt portrays Chaudhary Aslam Khan, Karachi's famed encounter specialist. Aslam led the Lyari Task Force and operations targeting the area's gangs, which repeatedly put him in conflict with criminal and militant outfits. He survived several attacks but was assassinated in 2014 when his convoy was targeted on the Karachi motorway.
Furthermore, Arjun Rampal's character, Major Iqbal, echoes elements linked to Ilyas Kashmiri, a senior Al-Qaeda commander associated with multiple cross-border plots. Kashmiri, who led the Harkat-ul-Jihad brigade, was considered one of the region's most dangerous operatives until his death in a 2011 drone strike.
A Tapestry of Fact and Fiction
Dhurandhar weaves these various threads—inspired by real events and figures—into a cinematic narrative of espionage and patriotism. The film positions the calculated strategy of Ajay Sanyal and the gritty, perilous journey of his young recruit at the heart of a dangerous intelligence push that blurs the lines between crime and terrorism. By using major historical events as a backdrop, the film aims to explore the shadowy world of cross-border operations that have shaped India's security landscape.
