Pakistani journalist born in Lyari backs Dhurandhar: Everything shown was true

Pakistani journalist Arif Aajakia defended Dhurandhar's portrayal of Karachi's Lyari region, saying the film showed the area truthfully. He shared that his own life experience in Lyari matched what was shown on screen.

His remarks come at a time when the Dhurandhar franchise is being discussed widely online. While some viewers have accused the film of pushing a political viewpoint, others said it draws from real events linked to crime networks and counter-terror operations in



Lyari.

In a video shared by ANI from Talk Journalism 2026, Aajakia spoke to journalist Saurabh Dwivedi and said, "I was the mayor of a town in Karachi, elected mayor during the period when Dhurandhar was done. I was born and raised in Lyari, so I knew that everything shown was true."

He also spoke about his family's roots and said, "I was born in Karachi, but my parents were born in Junagadh, Gujarat. I consider myself to be of Indian origin, not Pakistani."