In Dhurandhar, Ranveer Singh may command the spotlight as the leading man, yet it's Akshaye Khanna who's earning the loudest acclaim. The actor storms into the frame as Rehman Dakait, one of Pakistan's most notorious gang lords, who ruled the streets of Lyari.
Born in 1975 as Sardar Abdul Rehman Baloch, he grew up in an environment stepped in crime, underworld connections and terror.
Rehman Dakait's criminal activities began early on
At 13, he allegedly committed his first crime when he stabbed someone. The Express Tribune shared this shocking turn, revealing that at 19 "he strangled his mother and then hanged her from a fan."
In 1990s, he formally entered the Lyari group, joining the powerful Haji Lalu gang. Following Lalu's arrest in 2001, he took over his command and rapidly expanded his influence. For the next eight years, he ruled Lyari alongside his cousin Uzair Baloch and associate Baba Ladla, operating extortion rackets, drug networks, abductions and illegal arm dealings.
Rehman Dakait's connections beyond underworld
His criminal connections soon merged with politicians, including senior PPP leaders such as Zulfiqar Mirza and Benazir Bhutto. It is also claimed that Rehman once saved Benazir from a bomb blast in the year 2007.
In 2007, when Benazir came back to Pakistan after nine years of exile, a massive crowd of her supporters were gathered just to celebrate her arrival in Karachi. Meanwhile, two bombs exploded, and Benazir Bhutto narrowly escaped the explosion. However, immediately after the deadly blasts, she came home while travelling through Clifton in a white vehicle. The onlookers present at the scenario claimed that the person who rescued Bhutto from the blasts was none other than Rehman.
Moreover, several PPP insiders believe that Rehman Dakait and his family had political backing since the 1960s. When Zulfikar Ali Bhutto became founder of the PPP in 1967, his influence in Lyari was especially significant. Since then, PPP had a strong hold in Lyari.
Rehman Dakait's murder
In August 2009, Rehman Dakait was killed in a shootout with Karachi Police. He was 34. His cousin brother, Uzair, than took over the control of his gang following his demise.