Sanjay Dutt’s portrayal of the late Chaudhary Aslam in Aditya Dhar’s spy thriller Dhurandhar has sparked controversy as the police officer’s widow, Noreen Aslam, expressed her objections over certain depictions in the film. Dhurandhar, starring Ranveer Singh, is inspired by real-life events surrounding India’s intelligence operations in Karachi’s Lyari against notorious gangs.
Speaking on the Dialogue Pakistan podcast, Noreen Aslam said she was initially confident that Sanjay Dutt would do justice to her late husband’s personality, noting that Chaudhary Aslam had been a fan of Dutt since the 1990s. However, she took issue with a scene in the trailer that described Aslam as the “offspring of the devil and a djinn.”
Noreen stated, “We are Muslims, and such words are disrespectful not only to Aslam but also to 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 Sindh Police in the 1980s and eventually led the Lyari Task Force in the 2000s. He played a pivotal role in dismantling Karachi’s gang networks, eliminating several major gangsters. Aslam survived a Taliban attack in 2011 but was tragically assassinated in 2014 by the TTP, a Pakistani Taliban faction.
In Dhurandhar, Sanjay Dutt brings Chaudhary Aslam to life, while Ranveer Singh stars as an Indian intelligence operative infiltrating Lyari. The film also features Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, and R. Madhavan in key roles.
