Pakistan’s Lyari residents claim 80% profit share from Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar in viral video, watch

Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar, starring Ranveer Singh, R. Madhavan and Akshaye Khanna, has become one of the biggest blockbusters of 2025, smashing records across India and the globe. The spy-action drama is racing past the ₹900 crore- ₹1,000 crore mark in worldwide collections, driven by explosive word-of-mouth, chart-topping music and packed theatres weeks after release. Its third-Saturday figures even eclipsed comparable days of other Indian cinematic giants, signalling a resounding commercial triumph.

Must Read: Tamannaah Bhatia almost featured in Dhurandhar’s ‘Shararat’, but Aditya Dhar feared it would have ‘taken attention away’

A Story Set in Lyari: Fiction Meets Real-World Backdrop

Dhurandhar unfolds against the gritty backdrop of Pakistan’s Lyari - a neighbourhood in Karachi historically associated with gang warfare, social struggles and cultural vibrancy. The film follows an Indian intelligence officer embedded deep within local crime networks, navigating complex loyalties and violence. Through its intense action and layered character arcs, Dhurandhar juxtaposes espionage thrills with human stories from an environment rarely seen in mainstream cinema.

Reel Heat Sparks Real Demands

Amid this cinematic success, some voices from Lyari, driven by the film’s global impact, have been circulating on social media, claiming compensation from the movie’s profits. In viral clips, residents have suggested they deserve up to 80 % of the takings for the use of their community’s identity and imagery, arguing funds could support local development projects.

Pakistanis demanding a portion of Dhurandhar's profit to Lyari.

"Kam se kam yeh toh theek karwa lein" 🤣🤣🤣🤣pic.twitter.com/zUi4pEZW5w

— Dear Men (@Dear_Men_Life) December 22, 2025

Where Was Lyari Recreated? 

Notably, despite its Pakistani setting, Dhurandhar was not shot in Lyari or anywhere in Pakistan. The filmmakers constructed an elaborate six-acre set in Bangkok, Thailand, to stand in for Lyari, with more than 500 Indian and Thai artisans recreating narrow streets, crowded markets and crumbling buildings with painstaking detail.

Faced with monsoon-era weather challenges and logistical limits in India, the production chose Thailand as the ideal location for building such a vast recreation, supplementing it with shoots in Mumbai and Chandigarh to complete the narrative’s look.

Reactions on Social Media

After the video went viral, social media users largely reacted with criticism and sarcasm. Several posts on X and Instagram questioned the logic of demanding profits from a film that was neither shot in Lyari nor involved its residents, while others turned the clip into meme material.

Also Read: ‘Akshaye Khanna is pure magic’: Saumya Tandon recalls first day on Dhurandhar set, hopes to reunite onscreen

Though a few voices raised broader questions about representation and benefit-sharing, the dominant online sentiment dismissed the demand as exaggerated and unrealistic, further fuelling Dhurandhar's viral buzz beyond the box office.

Sharm karo Lyari walo, Dhurandhar ka profit sharing Anupama aur Dhroov Rathi ne nahi maanga, aur tum aa gaye muh utha ke.

— Salunke (@MissSalunke) December 25, 2025