Updated on: Dec 08, 2025 09:59 am IST
Sanjay Dutt plays Chaudhary Aslam in Dhurandhar. The real Aslam was the leader of the Lyari Task Force, eliminating several gangsters in Pakistan.
Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar draws from real-life incidents to present a semi-fictionalised account of India’s war against terror in Pakistan, particularly against the gangs of Karachi’s Lyari. The film features several characters based on real people, including the late, dynamic Karachi SP Chaudhary Aslam Khan, played by Sanjay Dutt. Aslam’s widow, Noreen, has now commented upon her husband’s portrayal in the Ranveer Singh-starrer.
Sanjay Dutt (L) plays Chaudhary Aslam in Dhurandhar.
Chaudhary Aslam’s wife on Dhurandhar
Appearing on a podcast by Dialogue Pakistan, Noreen said that her husband was a fan of Sanjay Dutt ever since he watched Khalnayak in the 90s, and she was sure the actor would do justice to her husband’s personality. However, she did have one complaint. The trailer of the film has a character describe Aslam as the offspring of the devil and a djinn.
Objecting to this, Noreen said, “We are Muslims, and such words are disrespectful not only to Aslam but his mother, who was a simple, honest woman. If I see my husband being portrayed wrongly or any propaganda against him in the film, I will definitely take all the legal steps I can. It is strange that Indian filmmakers find no other subjects but to malign Pakistan.”
Who was Chaudhary Aslam?
Born in 1963, Chaudhary Aslam joined the Sind Police in the 80s as an ASI and worked in several towns across the Pakistani province. In the 2000s, he was appointed to lead the Lyari Task Force in the government’s crackdown on the gangs in the Karachi township. He is credited with eliminating several major gangsters from the region. After surviving an attack from the Taliban in 2011, he was assassinated in 2014 by the TTP, the Taliban’s Pakistani faction. Sanjay Dutt plays him in Dhurandhar, a film based on Operation Lyari and the Indian intelligence’s role in dismantling the terror network there.
About Dhurandhar
Dhurandhar stars Ranveer as an Indian spy in Lyari, and also features Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, and R Madhavan in lead roles. Despite mixed reviews, the film has built a positive word of mouth among the viewers, earning ₹99 crore net in India in its opening weekend.
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