Akshaye Khanna plays the pivotal character of 'Rehman Dakait' in 'Dhurandhar'. Read on to know more about the most dreaded gangster of Karachi.
There has been a lot of speculation and connections surrounding Aditya Dhar’s most-awaited film, Dhurandhar. Some reports suggest the story centers on India’s most coveted operations in Pakistan. Some say that the story revolves around the terrorists’ activities carried out in the 90s and early 2000s. Though the references remain ambiguous, the characters portrayed in the film seem real. Like Akshaye Khanna’s ‘Rehman Dakait’, the most dreaded gangsters of Karachi.
The early reviews of Dhurandhar, released on December 5, 2025, have special mention of Akshaye Khanna’s role. His dialogue delivery and razor-sharp intensity have been applauded by the audience. The actor portrays the role of popular gangster, 'Rehman Dakait', a powerful politician and drug smuggler.
Rehman Dakait, also known as Rehman Baloch, was one of the most dreaded gangsters of Karachi in the 90s. His dialogue in the film, ‘Rehman Dakait ki di hui maut bahut kasainuma hoti hai’ (Rehman Dakait kills like a butcher), is stated to be true as he is one of the most ruthless figures of the underworld, who operates all the wrongdoings in parallel to political institutions.
Born as Sardar Abdul Rehman Baloch, Rehman Dakait was based in Karachi’s Lyari neighbourhood. His father, Dadal Baloch, was involved in drug smuggling from 1964. Rehman began drug peddling from a very young age. His gang gained a strong hold of Lyari and was rivalled by two more gangs.
Rehman from the People’s Aman Committee, and carried out his smuggling in parallel to his political party. Rehman is still one of the most mythical figures in Karachi. It is stated that Rehman stabbed a man at the age of 13 and was speculated to have killed his own mother, who was reportedly involved with a rival gang member.
The terror of Rehman Dakait was evident during his reign in Lyari. His rival, Haji Lalu’s son, Arshad Pappu, was Rehman’s biggest competitor. Their rift put Lyari through several gang wars, resulting in the death of innocent people. Once, Rehman brutally killed someone close to Arshad in front of everyone. The scene where Akshaye Khanna’s character attacks a man in the middle of the street is said to be based on the real-life incident involving Rehman Dakait. Rehman was arrested in 2005 by Zulfiqar Mirza, but he escaped later on and was gunned down in a police encounter in 2009.
There have been various reports on Aditya Dhar’s film, Dhurandhar, based on the real-life hero, Late Major Mohit Sharma. However, the Central Board of Film Certification, after watching the film, said there are no similarities in the film to the soldier’s life. But many online forums state that the film is based on Operation Lyari, conducted by the Pakistani government. The story is reported to be based on the first gangs based in Lyari, a neglected part of Karachi, which soon became a poignant space for drug trafficking.
What do you think about Akshaye Khanna portraying the role of Rehman Dakait?
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