Akshaye Khanna's 'Dhurandhar' role goes viral: Who was Rehman Dakait?
What's the story
Akshaye Khanna's performance in the recently released Aditya Dhar directorial Dhurandhar has been widely praised. The actor plays the role of Rehman Dakait, a notorious gangster from Karachi's Lyari. The film is set in the late 2000s and depicts India's covert war on terror inside Pakistan. It features Ranveer Singh as an Indian spy who infiltrates Dakait's gang and works to dismantle it while providing intelligence to Indian authorities. Here's more about Dakait.
Real-life gangster
Dakait's real name was Sardar Abdul Rehman Baloch
Dakait's real name was Sardar Abdul Rehman Baloch. Born in 1975, he started his criminal career at a young age, reportedly committing his first crime at 13. After joining Haji Laloo's gang in the mid-1990s, he slowly rose in ranks and quickly gained notoriety for extreme violence. Local accounts allege that he even killed his own mother, Khadija Biwi, when he discovered that she was having an affair with Iqbal, the man who had killed Dakait's father, gangster Mohammed Dadal.
Box office hit
Khanna's performance and film's success
The notorious criminal died in an encounter in 2009 at 34, after which his cousin Uzair (who also gets featured in Dhurandhar) took over command of his gang. Khanna's portrayal of Dakait has been described as intense and powerful. His entry scene, set to the Arabic song FA9LA by Bahraini rapper Flipperachi, has particularly impressed audiences. The film Dhurandhar is a commercial success and has reportedly earned over ₹150 crore domestically since its release on December 5.
Future endeavors
Khanna's career and upcoming projects
Khanna has been a part of the Hindi film industry for over 28 years. He has starred in films like Taal, Border, Dil Chahta Hai, Race, Mom, Ittefaq, Drishyam 2, and now Dhurandhar. His next project is reportedly Humraaz 2 where he will be seen alongside Bobby Deol. The film will be a sequel to the 2002 thriller Humraaz.