Lyari, a poor town in Pakistan’s Karachi that had hitherto existed outside the glamor of the capital, made headlines after being featured in the Bollywood blockbuster Dhurandhar – a film about the region’s brutal underworld nexus and its links to terrorism.
Lyari is known as a “no-go” zone due to lawlessness and politically motivated violence and as a space where geographical boundaries define the limits of law, and Dhurandhar’s team in Thailand recreated Lyari, according to the film’s director Aditya Dhar. The action scenes were shot in the Punjab states of Amritsar, Ludhiana and Mumbai in Maharashtra.
5 facts about Lyari, Karachi’s notorious city
“Restricted area”: Lyari, one of Karachi’s oldest neighbourhoods, is located near the city’s historic port and has long been a gateway for migration and settlement. Its narrow lanes, dense housing, and tight-knit communities reflect decades of unplanned urban growth. Despite its central location, Lyari has gained a reputation as lawless. “Lyari – home to lawlessness, violence and politically motivated crime – is a notorious no-go zone in Pakistan’s financial capital, Karachi. It has a population of about a million people, but only a limited presence of law enforcement agencies, so criminals often find refuge here. One rarely hears about police operations in this area,” wrote Pakistani peacebuilding expert Dr. Zahid Shahab Ahmed in a PeaceInsight article in 2011.
Read also | Lyari Gangs: Brutal Tales of Violence from Karachi’s ‘Wild West’
Hotbed of gang violence: As shown in Dhurandhar’s film, Lyari was a hotspot for gang violence, especially from the 1980s to the early 2000s. The region became synonymous with turf wars, political patronage networks, and lawlessness, attracting national attention. Security operations in subsequent years helped curb much of the violence, but the legacy of that period still shapes perceptions of the neighborhood. Local news portals on gang battles in Lyari had previously reported that armed gangs exchanged fire without police intervention anywhere in sight.
Rahman Daqit link: Dhurandhar chronicles the life of Rehman Dakait – the character played by actor Akshaye Khanna in the film – one of the most notorious gang bosses in Lyari. He is known to have risen to prominence in the early 2000s, gaining significant influence over local criminal networks and becoming a symbol of the law and order crisis in Lyari. His eventual killing in a police encounter, also captured in the film, marked a turning point, highlighting intensified state efforts to dismantle gang structures in the region.
BAK Football Center: Despite gaining notoriety, Lyari was also historically known for its rich cultural identity. It is widely viewed as the center of football in Pakistan, with the sport enjoying popularity unrivaled by cricket in the rest of the country. Local clubs, informal fields and passionate fans have produced talented players and maintained a unique sporting culture that remains a source of pride for residents.
Lyari residents demand money from Dhurandhar makers: YouTube channel Comparison TV recently shared a video from Lyari, showing residents reacting to the success of Dhurandhar 2 and seeking financial benefits from the film’s box office records. While one person demanded $500 crores, and another sought 70-80 per cent share of the film’s profits for the welfare of their city. “The film that was made on Lyari, it’s a VIP film and he got a lot of money. Lyari Tarakki kare bahut aur yeh sadakeban jaayengi [May Lyari progress a lot and may these roads get built]”, one of the residents is heard talking about the film and saying in the video.
