Just when Dhurandhar seemed to be riding on its scale and star power alone, the film found itself at the centre of an unexpected new flashpoint. Omar Shahid Hamid, a senior Karachi police officer closely associated with the city’s battle against Lyari’s criminal networks, has said the makers owe royalty for using story material linked to that bloody chapter, instantly giving the film a far more combustible real world edge.
The remark came during a podcast conversation in which Hamid reflected on the Lyari gang wars and on the period after the assassination of Chaudhary Aslam Khan, the high profile Karachi police officer remembered for his anti gang and anti terror operations. Hamid’s comments quickly caught attention because they did not read like casual reaction. He framed the issue as one of ownership, saying the content belonged to the officers who had lived through those events.
Karachi Officer’s Royalty Remark Recasts The Film’s Real World Stakes
That claim has now become the sharpest talking point around Dhurandhar. What had largely been discussed as an ambitious Hindi espionage thriller is suddenly being viewed through a more contentious lens, with questions of authorship and lived experience entering the conversation. The controversy has also revived interest in the film itself, especially because its narrative moves through Karachi’s gangland and intelligence landscape.
This is also hilarious on a lighter note as film talks about Indian intelligence infiltrating Pakistan and Pakistani officials are not only accepting it but also demanding royalty over it.
Directed by Aditya Dhar and backed by Jio Studios and B62 Studios, Dhurandhar features Ranveer Singh in the lead alongside Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, R. Madhavan and Sara Arjun. The film released in theatres on December 5, 2025, and its story follows an Indian intelligence operation cutting through Karachi’s criminal and political underworld. In light of Hamid’s remarks, those setting details are no longer being discussed only as cinematic texture, but as part of a larger argument about who owns the stories born from violent public history.
Dhurandhar The Revenge Becomes All Time Blockbuster
Ranveer Singh starrer Dhurandhar The Revenge has crossed 385 crore nett India and 675 crore worldwide gross. It is certain to cross 1000 crore nett India and it’s an all time blockbuster.
A Firsthand Voice Now Shaping The Film’s Public Narrative
What makes Hamid’s intervention especially significant is not simply the royalty demand itself, but the authority with which it lands. It means that film has created an impact on the other side of border too.
That changes the way the film is being talked about. Instead of remaining a conversation about casting, scale and Aditya Dhar’s return to the espionage space, Dhurandhar is now also caught in a debate about memory, ownership and adaptation. For a film mounted as a big screen thriller, that may prove to be its most politically charged subplot yet.
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