Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar is right — Pakistan is not a safe place. Not even for its Generals. How else does one describe the court martial and 14-year rigorous imprisonment handed to former director general ISI Faiz Hameed? Who would have thought “interfering in politics” would be a punishable offence in a country where politics has long been considered a national sport for the men in uniform?
The imprisonment is just the beginning of Hameed’s worries. Once all-powerful, tea-sipping DG ISI is also staring at a harsher punishment for colluding with Imran Khan to orchestrate mutiny against Pakistan Army chief Asim Munir. Perhaps Aditya Dhar should make a sequel to Dhurandhar, on the curious case of punishing some but not all Generals for involvement in politics and violating official secrets act. For now, we are content with Dhurandhar.
Not so sexy RAW agent
After watching the escapades of agents Pathaan, Tiger, Kabir, and Vinod, the newest entry of Ranveer Singh as Hamza Ali Mazari only certifies that these Indian RAW agents can’t help but fall for Pakistani women. The mission be damned but the interests of the heart shall be pursued. For a change, Mazari doesn’t dance with a bikini-clad heroine, even though the backdrop of Karachi beaches would have made sense for a Besharam rang-type number. But unlike his predecessors, Mazari isn’t keen on dancing with ISI agents.
He is satisfied in his tight-fitted salwar kameez suits, long hair and cruiser motorbike. He is not sexy, he is not glamorous — he is just a potent soldier against the enemy who wants jannat by walking home a Pakistani girl in a short dress. Someone, anyone, should inform agent Mazari that wearing those Balenciaga glasses is a big giveaway of him being a RAW agent. On the streets of Karachi, even keypad mobiles are unsafe. Don’t get caught in the race of being too stylish!
Interestingly, Dhurandhar zooms in on the notorious town of Lyari, a nexus of criminal gangs propped up by local politicians and military men. The ethnic fault lines of the city are explored by director-writer Aditya Dhar, who made Uri on the 2016 surgical strikes. The same strikes that we believe never happened. So, retrospectively, this three-and-a-half-hour watch feels quite a bit too real to us.
Dhurandhar is pro-Pakistan
This reality is stranger than fiction. No wonder Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) and their leaders have been most troubled with the film. Dhurandhar extensively uses imagery of PPP symbols, Benazir Bhutto’s face on the hoardings and fleeting appearance of President Asif Ali Zardari. The PPP is so perturbed that one of its leaders has filed a petition for an FIR against Ranveer Singh and Aditya Dhar, calling the film “anti-Pakistan”.
Meanwhile, another PPP stalwart and Lyari’s own Nabil Gabol isn’t amused by his portrayal and also called it Bollywood’s chaal to link terrorism with Lyari and defame Pakistan. But all is not lost for Gabol who can approach Netflix for a three-season series on Lyari with him as the protagonist, played by Narcos’ Wagner Moura.
Gabol is teared up on how he can’t get Dhurandhar banned internationally because he doesn’t have enough money. In the film’s wedding item song shararat, the dancers with slit dress saving money on some pieces of clothing look like an apt commentary on Pakistan’s economic situation. That shows Dhurandhar is not an anti-Pakistan but a pro-Pakistan film. The depiction of Pakistan’s involvement in the 2008 Mumbai attacks should come as a shock to no one. Seventeen years on, there is no action by the Pakistani establishment, which indicates lack of any remorse or intent to bring the 26/11 perpetrators to justice. Why does India think a film would shame Pakistan into action?
Rehman Dakait, hero of new India
Fervour conspiracies, “ghar mein ghusega bhi aur marega bhi” reels on my first day as a spy in India/Pakistan have ignited the lovers and haters of Dhurandhar. If Narendra Modi is accused of writing the script of Dhurandhar, the film is now the most pirated film in Pakistan. And that Akshay Khanna dance is the official anthem for mehndis this season. Pakistani media has gone back to the family of gangster Rehman Dakait to verify if he could actually dance to the Flipperachi song that no one gets. Dakait’s younger son is adamant that his father was a good man who helped the poor.
In all this frenzy, let there be a petition to get Akshay Khanna the highest civilian award of Pakistan. For he has made Indians crush over a notorious Pakistani gangster. This is a big service to Pakistan and we call it reverse propaganda. Now Khanna could do a biopic of Kulbhushan Jhadav, Indian national accused of espionage in Pakistan for having a striking similarity.
The makers of Dhurandhar think that controlling Karachi is like controlling Pakistan. Seems like their research team didn’t share the commonly known fact that whoever owns Punjab controls Pakistan. A quick course on politics before the next chapter won’t hurt anyone. Much like Hrithik Roshan, who disagrees with the politics of Dhurandhar yet in Fighter he was ready to occupy us: “India occupied Pakistan”.
Naila Inayat is a journalist from Pakistan. Her X handle is @nailainayat. Views are personal.
(Edited by Prashant Dixit)
Naila remains the only journalist beyond borders who can write without any bias. Love her wit and craft.
The claims are convulated. The article could have been a great satirical piece but runs into hasty generalizations and false causation.
The only reason I read this article is because of Naila Inayat, the best journalist in the entire print media. Greetings from India.
The only reason I read this article is because of Naila Inayat, the best journalist in the entire print media. Greetings from India.
If only the article was written a bit more clearly to make its point!