The much-awaited film of Ranveer Singh has finally been released on the big screens — Dhurandhar. When on November 18 the makers of the film dropped the trailer fans couldnt keep calm. While most trailers of spy films feature the main character first and later the antagonists Aditya Dhars directorial did the exact opposite. The trailer first introduced its dreaded villains and later the main hero made his entry. With the trailer release many people speculated that the movie was a biopic of Major Mohit Sharma. However the film’s director Aditya Dhar put all speculation to rest by confirming that Ranveer’s character is not inspired by Major Sharma. Dhurandhar and Their Real-Life Characters When the trailer was released several real-life–inspired characters were introduced including R. Madhavan portraying Ajit Doval Sanjay Dutt as SP Chaudhary Aslam Akshaye Khanna as Rehman Dakait and Arjun Rampal as Major Iqbal from the ISI (based on Ilyas Kashmiri). These revelations left viewers intrigued prompting many to wonder who these individuals actually are. Let’s take a closer look at the real personalities behind these characters. 1. Akshaye Khanna as ‘Lyari’s Robin Hood’ Rehman Dakait After the trailer release of Dhurandhar when fans saw the character played by Akshaye Khanna who portrayed Rehman Dakait many assumed that the film was about Operation Lyari. This real-life operation carried out by the Pakistani government is considered one of the largest covert missions in the country’s history. Throughout the British Raj and even after independence Lyari was a neglected place hidden in Karachi. Soon the area became a hub for gangsters who began establishing themselves in the 1960s eventually turning it into a hotspot for drug trafficking. One of the earliest drug trafficking gangs was operated by gangster Rehman Dakait’s father Dadal Baloch. Rehman Dakait was widely perceived to have close ties with senior leaders of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP). Rehman’s gang had a strong hold in the area. However they were rivalled by two more gangs. One of those was run by Haji Lalu. Lalus gang had a member called Arshad Papu who eventually became Rehman’s biggest competitor. The trailer scene showing Akshaye Khanna savagely beating a man in the middle of the street may be hinting at a real incident. According to accounts Rehman allegedly murdered someone close to Arshad in broad daylight right in the heart of the town escalating tensions and deepening the rivalry between the two gangs. However the truth will only be unveiled when one watches the film. Sanjay Dutt as Chaudhary Aslam Khan — Pakistans A1 Encounter Specialist Another iconic figure in Dhurandhar’s character list is Chaudhary Aslam Khan played by Sanjay Dutt. Just as gangsters are always on the hit list of police officials Rehman Dakait was one of them for Chaudhary Aslam Khan. The encounter specialist was assigned to form the Lyari Task Force a unit created to wipe out drug lords and petty criminals from the area. Chaudhary proved highly effective in the role capturing and eliminating numerous targets. Even Sanjay’s character in the film looks extremely promising. Arjun Rampal as Major Iqbal Would you believe it if we said that Arjuns character is the most dreaded among all? Yes Arjun who plays Major Iqbal is based on Al-Qaeda mastermind Ilyas Kashmiri. Ilyas was considered one of the most brutal and cunning commanders of Al-Qaeda. He was also linked to the 26/11 Mumbai attacks the 2010 Pune bombing and the assassination of former Pakistani Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto. Even after he was killed in a 2011 drone strike carried out by the US there was no definitive confirmation of his death for more than a year. Madhavan as Ajay Sanyal — A Character Loosely Inspired by NSA Ajit Doval R. Madhavans character is inspired by NSA chief Ajit Doval. While Madhavan’s character is named Ajay Sanyal his resemblance to one of Indian intelligence’s most well-known figures Ajit Doval is evident. Ajit Doval is a key figure who has helped resolve almost 15 hijacking incidents including the IC-814 crisis in Kandahar. He also played a crucial role in Operation Bluestar infiltrating the terrorist group and documenting their positions and weapons. Later Doval was appointed as the chief of the Intelligence Bureau a post he assumed in 2005.