Releasing with a great deal of curiosity and chatter in a whispering manner, the film Dhurandhar is roaring worldwide. Since the release, it started generating talk, not because of anything typical of entertainment masala but because of the uncomfortable situations it puts you in, the answers it does not provide, and the disturbing world it drags you into. The film thrives in moral greys, where power, violence, and survival collide.
What truly sets Dhurandhar apart is how it blurs the line between folklore, fear, and reality. It makes every silence heavy and every confrontation feel inevitable. Certain names and characters used in this film have piqued a lot of interest outside movie screens. Of all these, it is Akshay Khanna as Rehman Dakait whose performance is currently under hot analytical debate on social network sites. Well, let’s see more information on Rehman Dakait, the king of Lyari in real life:
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Who was the real-life Rehman Dakait?
As portrayed in Dhurandhar, Rehman Dakait was a real-life antagonist. He wrote his story in the congested bylanes of Lyari, one of Karachi’s oldest and most notorious neighborhoods. His name in reality is Sardar Abdul Rehman Baloch, which he got in 1975 when he was born to Abu Muhammad and Khadija Bibi. His father and his paternal uncle were involved in drug smuggling since 1964.
Following the death of his father, Dakait began dealing drugs from a very young age. However, what makes him more terrifying is that Dakait killed his mother in 1995. Although Dakait claimed to the police that he killed his mother as ‘she turned out to be a police informant,’ in reality, it is believed that he killed her because she had an affair with a rival gang member. This fact was also mentioned in the Dhurandhar movie.
King of Lyari or Robin Hood for his community?
Soon, Rehman Dakait escalated from being a local gang member to becoming one of the most powerful gang leaders in Lyari. His ascent to power proved very rapid and aggressive. Armed turf wars, extortion rackets, and violent confrontations with rival groups became routine, turning Lyari into a battleground.
From stabbing someone at the age of 13 to killing rival drug peddlers, Rehman has shed a lot of blood. He was arrested in 1995 for possession of weapons and drugs. However, after being jailed for 2.5 years, he escaped dramatically and fled to Balochistan. There, he began working towards constructing his empire of fear. Apart from getting married thrice and having 13 children, he allegedly possessed properties worth crores.
However, Rehman did not derive all his power from terror. He presented a dual image of a gangster and a guardian, distributing money among people and resolving their disputes, and helping them in times of need.
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Ambitious Rehman Dakait’s ascent in politics
Rehman Dakait’s ascent had a criminal side but was interwoven with the politics of Lyari. His influence increased with the importance of Lyari being a stronghold for the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP). Eyewitness accounts and news highlight Rehman’s presence during a bomb attack on Benazir Bhutto’s homecoming rally in Karachi in 2007 and his assistance in leading her to safety, along with her party supporters. His connection with the event increased his reputation in the area. However, the party denies any such ties officially.
💡The real Abdul Rehman Baloch alias Rehman Dakait, rescuing Benazir Bhutto after the Oct 18th, 2007 Karsaz blast, Karachi. This was two months before her eventual assassination. pic.twitter.com/h8SQqZkwyt
— Saikiran Kannan | 赛基兰坎南 (@saikirankannan) December 14, 2025
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In 2008, he formed his own party, ‘People’s Aman Committee’ (PAC), which appears to be a coalition party for PPP with a dual role of being an authority in the community and a crime organization. Dhurandhar points out this connection between politics and crime in Lyari, narrating Rehman’s gang’s expansion into a quasi-political setup with PAC and being a part of the power politics.
Not only this, but many also claimed that he supported Balochistan’s freedom movement to some extent and had relations with Baloch freedom fighters. The Dhurandhar movie also hints at his nationalist sympathy tied to Baloch identity and the Baloch freedom struggle.
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Read article: Who Were The Real Khanani Brothers, The ISI Shadow Bankers Shown In Dhurandhar? Here’s Their Real Story
Twisted between gang rivalry and police rivalry
Rehman Dakait’s rise in Lyari was a dangerous balancing act between rival gangs and relentless police pressure. His faction was led by his cousin and trusted lieutenant, Uzair Baloch. Together, they fought against other groups, such as the one by Arshad Pappu, for domination over extortion networks, routes, and control of Lyari.
The police, led in part by Officer Chaudhry Aslam Khan, were relentless. Raids, encounters, and intelligence-led operations had turned it into a deadly game of strategy and survival. It forced Rehman to walk the tightrope between establishing dominance and leaving himself vulnerable to exposure. Dhurandhar catches this tension quite well.
How Rehman Dakait died in reality?
In reality, Rehman Dakait’s reign ended in a police encounter in 2009 in Lyari. According to reports, he was stopped close to Quetta while in possession of a fake ID. His encounter was a result of collective intelligence work, follow-ups, and pressure from police officer Chaudhry Aslam Khan and other police officers. In order to get rid of him, police officer Chaudhry established the Lyari Task Force in 2006. In Dhurandhar, Sanjay Dutt plays the part of him.
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However, Dhurandhar highlights the finale very dramatically. The movie brings elements of tension and action, where Rehman finds himself in a climactic face-off with Ranveer Singh’s character, Hamza Ali Mazari, alias Jaskeerat Singh Ranghi, who ends up betraying him and beating him to death. Furthermore, this is not all; in fact, in contrast to reality, this movie shows Hamza taking Rehman to a hospital where he took his last breath. However, in reality, he died at the encounter site.
What happened in Lyari after Rehman Dakait’s death?
Rehman Dakait’s death signaled the end of direct control by his gang. However, his cousin Uzair Baloh soon took over his bloodthirsty empire. Although the series ends with Rehman Dakait’s death in part 1 of Dhurandhar, Rehman’s encounter receives a great deal of controversy following this event. In reality, Rehman’s funeral is reported to have received the largest turnout for a funeral in all of Lyari. His widow went on to approach the Sindh High Court with complaints of a fake encounter. A report from the police was sought, but this matter remains unresolved.
Chaudhry Aslam, the officer himself, was killed in a Taliban suicide attack in 2014, marking the end of yet another dark side note in the eventful, violent history of Lyari.
Meanwhile, ‘Dhurandhar 2’ is expected to be released in March of next year, and it will reportedly show the effects of what occurred in the aftermath of Rehman Dakait’s death and how ‘Lyari’ emerged during this time in the post-Dakait era.
What do you think about this? Do share your thoughts with us in the comment section of this article.
