Lyari link in film? Dhurandhar 2 actor Abhay Arora says some crowd actors had Pakistani roots

As Dhurandhar 2 continues its strong run in theatres, conversations around the film have moved beyond its box-office numbers to its casting — particularly speculation about whether Pakistani actors were part of the project.

Also read: ‘Bachcha hai tu mera’: From Delhi Police to BookMyShow, brands jump on Dhurandhar wave with witty campaigns

Actor Abhay Arora has now addressed the chatter, offering a clearer picture of what actually happened on set.

In an interview with NDTV, Arora — who plays Yasir, the younger brother of gangster Arshad Pappu — said that the film did not cast actors from Pakistan in any formal sense, but some people seen in crowd scenes had roots in Lyari.

“There were some people in the crowd in Bangkok who are actually from Lyari, and when they came on set, they were like, ‘It looks like Lyari.’ They are residents of Bangkok, and we had a local cast for these scenes — the crowd, people walking in the background, and people cheering on stage. All these people were cast in Bangkok, and some of them actually come from Lyari, Pakistan.”

He said their presence added a layer of realism to the scenes, especially because they could instantly connect with the setting being recreated.

“They were able to relate to every detail on set. I saw some people getting very surprised; they were like, ‘None of you guys have been to Lyari, but the details were impeccable.’”

When asked if he could point to specific moments, Arora said,

“Whatever scenes were shot in Bangkok, some of the faces were from Lyari. Many of the crowd scenes feature those people.”

Film rides high on box-office momentum

Directed by Aditya Dhar, Dhurandhar 2, which released on March 19, has been drawing both audiences and attention for its scale, performances, and the effort put into recreating real locations on screen.

The Ranveer Singh-led action thriller has earned ₹575 crore net in India within six days. According to Sacnilk, the film’s India gross stands at ₹687.43 crore, while overseas collections have reached ₹231.57 crore, taking the worldwide gross to ₹919 crore.

On Tuesday, the film collected ₹56.55 crore, pushing its India total to ₹575.67 crore, with the Hindi version alone contributing ₹52 crore.

The film stars Ranveer Singh, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, Rakesh Bedi and Sara Arjun, and has been released in five languages — Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.