Pakistani politician wants the last word on ‘Dhurandhar 2’, and maybe his own film

Pakistani politician Nabil Ahmed Khan Gabol has responded to online trolling following the release of the Bollywood film “Dhurandhar 2”, saying that one of its characters is based on him and criticising the way he is portrayed.

In a recent interaction with a Pakistani content creator, Gabol said the character of Jameel Jamali, played by Rakesh Bedi, resembles him, particularly as he served as a member of the Pakistan National Assembly from Karachi's Lyari during the period depicted in the story.

“The truth is that they (India) cannot fight Pakistan or the Pakistani Army, so they created a movie instead. Through this, they have made Lyari internationally famous. The people of Lyari do not care; they are very strong,” he could be heard saying in the video.

“They used a comedian, Rakesh Bedi, to play my role and portrayed him as Nabil Gabol. Rakesh Bedi later claimed, ‘No, I didn’t just base it on Nabil Gabol; I made it a general depiction of all Pakistani politicians.’ However, in 2007, the MNA of Lyari was Nabil Gabol,” he said.

Addressing social media criticism, Gabol added, “I see a lot of trolling on Indian social media asking why Nabil Gabol has gone silent. Well, today is the 26th, and I will give you a powerful response, just as the Pakistani Army responded to you. Just as six of your planes were shot down, I will also give you a proper answer regarding what Lyari actually is.”

Gabol had earlier raised similar concerns, criticising his depiction and expressing dissatisfaction with how his character was portrayed.

“I was very audacious. But they haven’t shown me the way I was,” he said.

He said he plans to respond through a film project of his own, tentatively titled “Lyari Ka Gabbar”, based on his version of events.