Mera Lyari set to respond to Dhurandhar propaganda

The Sindh government has announced that a new film titled Mera Lyari will be released soon. The film is being presented as a response to the Indian movie Dhurandhar, which has faced strong criticism for showing a negative image of Pakistan and Lyari, an area of Karachi.

Since its release on December 5, Dhurandhar has caused controversy for portraying Lyari as a violent and troubled area. Sindh Senior Minister and Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon strongly criticised the film and said it is part of a broader effort to damage Pakistan’s image and wrongly represent Lyari.

“Lyari is not about violence; it represents culture, peace, talent, and resilience. Next month, Mera Lyari will be released to show the true face of Lyari – one of peace, progress, and pride,” Memon said in a post on social media platform X.

Although the Bollywood film is said to be loosely based on past gang wars in Lyari, it has also received mixed reactions in India. While some viewers supported the story, many criticised how the area was shown.

In Pakistan, most viewers rejected the film and called it propaganda. However, some people also shared disappointment that Pakistani filmmakers have not always highlighted the country’s real culture and history in films.

A journalist shared a video titled “The Karachi you see in Dhurandhar vs the Karachi I saw last week”, comparing violent scenes from the movie with real-life images of Karachi’s food, music, and daily life.

Memon again said that Lyari stands for cultural diversity and social harmony. He added that the upcoming Sindhi-language film aims to show the true and positive image of Lyari to audiences in Pakistan and abroad.

Meanwhile, a day earlier, a constitutional petition was filed in a Karachi court against Dhurandhar. The petition claims the film trailer used images of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, the PPP flag, and footage from party rallies without permission.

The petition was filed by PPP activist Muhammad Amir in the District and Sessions Court (South), Karachi, seeking registration of an FIR against those linked to the film.

The names mentioned in the petition include director Aditya Dhar, producers Lokesh Dhar and Jyoti Kishore Deshpande, and actors Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, R Madhavan, Sara Arjun, and Rakesh Beni, along with other crew members.

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