Lyari residents humorously ask makers for a slice of Dhurandhar’s blockbuster success

Karachi’s gritty Lyari , known more for its history of gang wars than glitzy cinema nights, has suddenly found itself in the spotlight thanks to the blockbuster success of Bollywood’s Dhurandhar: The Revenge . What began as light‑hearted social media chatter has turned into a viral demand: some residents are now asking producers for a share of the film’s massive box‑office windfall , saying “India waale denge tab banega (when the Indians give, then development will happen)”.

In a video that has taken social platforms by storm, voices from Lyari cheekily suggested that up to 80 per cent of the film’s earnings, roughly ₹500 crore, should be handed over to their community to build roads and boost local infrastructure. The humorous pitch underlines a mix of pride and playful wishful thinking, as the spy thriller’s runaway success seems to have inspired hopes far beyond cinema halls.

Dhurandhar: The Revenge , directed by Aditya Dhar and starring an ensemble including Ranveer Singh, Arjun Rampal and Sanjay Dutt, was released on 19 March 2026 and has smashed records globally, raking in more than ₹1,200 crore within just ten days. The film is the climactic sequel to the 2025 hit Dhurandhar and marks the conclusion of one of the most ambitious spy sagas in recent Indian cinema.

The buzz from Lyari has drawn laughs as well as commentary online. Indian netizens have reacted to the demand with a mix of amusement and disbelief, while others recall claims that parts of the film were shot on location , a Pakistani man even claimed that some scenes were filmed in Lyari in the early hours, sparking memes and debates about authenticity.

Interestingly, the makers of Dhurandhar focused on authenticity for certain sequences; actor Abhay Arora revealed that local Lyari residents were cast as background actors to bring realism to the portrayal of the neighbourhood’s underworld dynamics, even though the movie wasn’t officially shot in Karachi.

Despite being officially banned in Pakistan , a fate shared with the first Dhurandhar film, the duology has evidently found an audience there via piracy, highlighting a paradox where viewers are captivated by a movie they cannot watch legally.

What started as light chatter has also touched a more critical nerve. Some critics in Pakistan have objected to the film’s representation of Lyari, prompting the Sindh Information Department to announce its own project, Mera Lyari , aimed at telling the “real” story of the neighbourhood beyond violence and crime.