“Dhurandhar,” a highly successful Indian spy action thriller directed by Aditya Dhar and starring Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, and Akshaye Khanna, has not been well received in Karachi for stretching the fiction too far in its depiction of Lyari.
Now, a PPP worker of the southern Pakistani port city approached a local court, seeking a case against the Indian movie, its director and producers for defaming the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
According to the local daily, the plea argues that Dhurandhar portrayed the PPP as sympathetic to terrorists and depicted Lyari as a “terrorist war zone.” It also says that the Indian movie used the image of the former PPP chairperson and the party flag without authorization.
Naming the director, producer, actors, and other crew members of the Indian film Dhundhar as proposed accused, along with the relevant police officials as respondents, the petitioner Muhammad Aamir filed an application under Sections 22-A and 22-B of the Criminal Procedure Code in the District and Sessions Court (South).
He underscores that the film labeled Karachi, particularly Lyari, as a “terrorist war zone,” which he described as an inflammatory, misleading, and harmful misrepresentation that has damaged the reputation of the country and its people.
The petitioner argued that the proposed accused were responsible for creating, producing, and distributing defamatory and provocative content, alleging that the material amounted to offences including defamation, criminal intimidation, incitement, and promoting enmity between different groups.
The applicant claims he suffered mental anguish and distress within the jurisdiction of Darakhshan Police Station, so, he submitted a written complaint to the SHO requesting registration of an FIR. However, the police did not take any action on it.
