{"id":12,"date":"2025-12-16T00:14:43","date_gmt":"2025-12-16T00:14:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=12"},"modified":"2026-01-07T20:57:06","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T20:57:06","slug":"pakistan-responds-to-dhurandhar-with-its-own-lyari-based-film-slated-for-release-next-month","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.worldwatchalert.com\/?p=12","title":{"rendered":"Pakistan responds to Dhurandhar with its own Lyari-based film slated for release next month"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>Bollywood has long had a flair for dramatizing Pakistan on screen \u2014 complete with exaggerated accents, liberal use of <em>\u201cadaab\u201d<\/em>, and storylines that often lean more toward propaganda than reality. Accuracy, more often than not, becomes a casualty. <em>Dhurandhar<\/em>, India\u2019s latest spy thriller set in Karachi\u2019s historic Lyari neighborhood, appears to follow that well-worn path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now, Pakistan is pushing back \u2014 not with statements alone, but through cinema itself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>On Saturday, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon announced <em>Mera Lyari<\/em>, a Pakistani feature film aimed at countering what he described as Bollywood\u2019s \u201cnegative propaganda\u201d against Pakistan. According to Memon, the film seeks to reclaim the narrative around Lyari, portraying it not as a den of crime and conflict, but as a community defined by peace, resilience, and pride.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>While details about the storyline remain under wraps, the minister confirmed that <em>Mera Lyari<\/em> is scheduled for release next month. Posters shared alongside the announcement offered a glimpse into the project\u2019s creative team and cast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The film boasts a notable ensemble including Ayesha Omar, Dananeer Mobeen, Samiya Mumtaz, Nayyar Ejaz, Trinette Lucas, Paras Masroor, Adnan Shah Tipu, and Shoaib Khan. Written and directed by Abu Aleeha \u2014 known for <em>Taxali Gate<\/em> \u2014 the film is executive produced by Ayesha Omar under her banner, Hawksbay Productions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The announcement comes amid growing controversy surrounding <em>Dhurandhar<\/em>. Last week, Indian media reported that the film was denied clearance in several Gulf countries due to its alleged anti-Pakistan themes. The move echoed earlier decisions taken against similar films, including <em>Fighter<\/em> (2024), which depicted a dramatized version of India\u2019s 2019 airstrikes inside Pakistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Legal challenges have also emerged at home. A supporter of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) filed an application in a Karachi district court seeking to register a case against <em>Dhurandhar<\/em>\u2019s director, producer, and cast. The petitioner alleged that the film\u2019s trailer used the PPP\u2019s flag, footage from party rallies, and imagery resembling the late party chairperson Benazir Bhutto without permission. According to the complaint, the trailer portrays the PPP as being sympathetic to terrorists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As <em>Dhurandhar<\/em> continues to stir debate, <em>Mera Lyari<\/em> is positioning itself as more than just a film \u2014 it is being framed as a cinematic rebuttal, one that aims to tell Lyari\u2019s story through a lens shaped by those who call it home.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bollywood has long had a flair for dramatizing Pakistan on screen \u2014 complete with exaggerated accents, liberal use of \u201cadaab\u201d, and storylines that often lean more toward propaganda than reality.&hellip; <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[2,3,4],"class_list":["post-12","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-showbiz","tag-dhurandhar","tag-lyari","tag-mera-lyari"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.2 - 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