When Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar hit cinemas on 5 December 2025, it didn’t just break box office records it sparked a national debate. The film grossed over ₹1,350 crore worldwide, became the highest-grossing Hindi film in India, and topped Netflix’s non-English charts after its January 2026 streaming debut. But behind the spectacle, millions of viewers were asking the same question: how much of this is actually real?
This article answers every major question from Ajit Doval’s real story, to who inspired Hamza, to every controversy the film stirred up.
Is Dhurandhar About Ajit Doval?
Yes partially and deliberately so. R. Madhavan plays Ajay Sanyal, the Director of India’s Intelligence Bureau who masterminds the covert Operation Dhurandhar. The character is widely understood to be based on Ajit Kumar Doval, India’s National Security Advisor and former IB chief.
The physical resemblance alone makes the connection unmistakable from the balding head to the thin moustache. More importantly, Sanyal’s biography in the film mirrors Doval’s career: a strategic spymaster who spent years undercover in Pakistan, negotiated during terror crises, and eventually became the architect of India’s most daring intelligence operations.
Direct connection: In the film’s opening sequence, Ajay Sanyal is shown negotiating the release of hostages in the 1999 IC-814 Kandahar hijacking an event Ajit Doval was personally involved in as IB head of operations. The film uses his real actions as the foundation for the fictional character.
Who is the Real Ajit Doval?
Ajit Kumar Doval was born on 20 January 1945 in Pauri Garhwal, Uttarakhand. He joined the Indian Police Service in 1968 and was quickly transferred to the Intelligence Bureau, where he would spend the next three decades running some of India’s most sensitive covert operations.
Among his most celebrated missions: in 1988, he infiltrated the Golden Temple in Amritsar disguised as a Pakistani ISI agent, fed Khalistani separatists false intelligence, and helped the NSG dismantle the occupation in Operation Black Thunder earning the Kirti Chakra, the first time the award had been given to an intelligence officer rather than a military one.
He spent approximately seven years working undercover in Pakistan as an IB spy, and served additional postings at the Indian High Commission in Islamabad giving him an intimate knowledge of Pakistan’s criminal syndicates, political networks, and terror infrastructure that directly inspired the world depicted in Dhurandhar.
Since May 2014, Doval has served as India’s National Security Advisor now in his third consecutive term holding Cabinet Minister rank and widely regarded as one of Prime Minister Modi’s closest and most trusted advisors.
Is the Dhurandhar Movie Based on a True Story?
Verdict: Loosely inspired by true events not a direct retelling. The film opens with a disclaimer confirming it is a work of fiction. However, it weaves in real historical events, real intelligence operations, and characters unmistakably based on real people while changing names and taking dramatic liberties with facts.
The film draws its narrative backdrop from several major real events: the 1999 IC-814 hijacking, the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, and the 2008 Mumbai 26/11 terror attacks. The fictional Operation Dhurandhar is modelled on real covert intelligence operations conducted by India’s RAW and Intelligence Bureau inside Pakistan.
The Karachi underworld setting fictionalizes elements of Pakistan’s real Operation Lyari a prolonged anti-gang crackdown in Karachi’s Lyari district starting around 2012. Director Aditya Dhar described the film as a spy thriller, not a biopic or documentary.
Who is Hamza in Dhurandhar Based On?
Ranveer Singh plays Hamza Ali Mazari who is revealed in the film’s climax to be Jaskirat Singh Rangi, an Indian convict recruited by intelligence as a deep-cover asset. The character is a composite, not a direct biopic of any single person.
However, the film’s release set off a fierce debate because the character bore striking similarities to a real hero
The Major Mohit Sharma Connection
Major Mohit Sharma (13 January 1978 – 21 March 2009) was an elite 1 Para SF officer who, in 2004, went undercover inside the Hizbul Mujahideen in Kashmir under the alias Iftikhar Bhatt, gathering vital intelligence on the terror network from within. He was martyred in a counter-terror operation in Kupwara on 21 March 2009, and posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra India’s highest peacetime gallantry decoration.
His family believed and publicly alleged that Dhurandhar was based on Mohit Sharma’s life without their consent. His parents approached the Delhi High Court seeking a stay on the film’s release. Director Aditya Dhar publicly denied the claim, stating Hamza was not based on Sharma, and the CBFC certified the film as fiction. The court petition was unsuccessful, and the film was released on schedule.
Despite the denial, many viewers and analysts note that the undercover-operative-with-an-assumed-Muslim-identity arc maps closely onto Sharma’s real 2004 mission making the “coincidence” difficult for many to accept.
Is Major Mohit Sharma alive? No. Major Mohit Sharma was killed in action on 21 March 2009 during an encounter in the Hafruda forest, Kupwara, Jammu & Kashmir. He died a martyr and was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra in 2010.
Real Life Characters Behind the Cast
Every major character in Dhurandhar has a real-world counterpart even if the filmmakers only acknowledge some of them officially:
| Actor | Character Name | Based On / Inspiration |
|---|---|---|
| R. Madhavan | Ajay Sanyal (IB Director) | Ajit Doval – India’s NSA and former IB chief |
| Ranveer Singh | Hamza Ali Mazari / Jaskirat Singh Rangi | Composite: Multiple Para SF and RAW operatives; disputed link to Major Mohit Sharma |
| Akshaye Khanna | Rehman Dakait | Sardar Abdul Rehman Baloch – Karachi’s notorious Lyari gangster |
| Sanjay Dutt | SP Chaudhary Aslam | Chaudhry Aslam Khan – Pakistani encounter specialist |
| Arjun Rampal | Major Iqbal (ISI) | Ilyas Kashmiri – Pakistani militant and former Special Forces operator |
| Rakesh Bedi | Jameel Jamali (Politician) | Nabil Gabol – Pakistani politician with Lyari ties |
Who is Major Tahir Iqbal in Pakistan? (The Real Major Iqbal)
The film’s villain Major Iqbal is based on Ilyas Kashmiri (10 February 1964 – 3 June 2011) a Pakistani Special Forces operator turned Islamist militant leader. Kashmiri trained Afghan mujahideen during the Soviet-Afghan War, became the head of the 313 Brigade under Harkat-ul-Jihad al-Islami (HuJI), and was linked by intelligence agencies to the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Before his death, CNN called him the “most dangerous man on Earth.” He was killed in a US drone strike in South Waziristan on 3 June 2011.
Some sources also note that the “Major Iqbal” name in the film may reference a real Pakistani intelligence operative known by that alias who appeared in 26/11 investigations distinct from Ilyas Kashmiri, but the film merges both inspirations into one character.
What is the Controversy of the Dhurandhar Movie?
Dhurandhar generated multiple controversies creative, legal, political, and religious:
- Propaganda allegations. Critics described the film as hypernationalist propaganda, accusing it of presenting a one-sided, chest-thumping narrative that deepened India-Pakistan hostility. The film was banned from theatrical release in several Gulf Cooperation Council countries including Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE over its perceived anti-Pakistan stance. Pakistan also publicly banned it, though it was widely pirated there.
- The Major Mohit Sharma legal battle. The family of Ashoka Chakra awardee Major Mohit Sharma approached the Delhi High Court in November 2025, alleging the film was based on their son’s story without permission. The court directed the CBFC to review the matter; the CBFC certified the film as fiction. The petition was unsuccessful, and the film released as planned. Director Aditya Dhar publicly denied the film was based on Sharma, though many find the similarities too significant to dismiss.
- Mixing fact with fiction. Critics across India and internationally took issue with the film’s blending of fictional characters with real historical events like the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, calling it “historic revisionism.” Al Jazeera noted that makers “cherry-picked historical figures and used them completely out of context.” The portrayal of Karachi as a desolate, bombed-out city also drew criticism for inaccuracy.
- Ranveer Singh’s religious controversy. During the film’s promotion at the 56th International Film Festival of India in Goa, Ranveer Singh was criticized for mimicking a sacred Bhoota Kola deva ritual of the Tulu people. He issued a formal public apology, but an FIR was filed against him in January 2026 for allegedly hurting religious sentiments.
- Toxic online discourse. Film critic Sucharita Tyagi described the film’s review fallout as an “uncivil battle of ideologies,” saying she was harassed so severely for her propaganda critique that she had to turn off comments on Instagram and YouTube for the first time in her career.
Box Office & Sequel
Despite the controversies or perhaps because of them Dhurandhar was a colossal commercial success. It grossed over ₹1,350 crore worldwide, making it the highest-grossing Hindi film in India, the second highest-grossing Hindi film worldwide, and the highest-grossing A-rated Indian film in history.
The sequel, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, released on 19 March 2026 and collected ₹102 crore on its first day alone, with ₹43 crore from paid previews the day prior. The sequel continues Jaskirat’s story and deepens the Ajit Doval-inspired character arc through R. Madhavan’s Ajay Sanyal.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is Dhurandhar about Ajit Doval?
The character of IB Director Ajay Sanyal played by R. Madhavan is directly inspired by Ajit Doval, India’s current National Security Advisor and former Intelligence Bureau chief. The film is not a biopic of Doval, but his career and persona are the unmistakable foundation of the character.
2. Is the Dhurandhar movie based on a true story?
The film is loosely inspired by real events and characters, not a direct retelling. It includes a disclaimer confirming it is fictional. Real events like the 1999 IC-814 hijacking, the 2001 Parliament attack, and the 2008 Mumbai attacks are woven into the plot, but the central operation and protagonist are fictional constructs.
3. Who is Hamza in Dhurandhar based on?
Hamza Ali Mazari (Ranveer Singh) is a composite character drawn from multiple RAW and Para SF operatives. His undercover arc draws strong parallels with the real 2004 mission of Major Mohit Sharma an Ashoka Chakra awardee who infiltrated Hizbul Mujahideen under the alias Iftikhar Bhatt. The filmmakers deny this specific link, calling the character fictional.
4. Is Major Mohit Sharma from Dhurandhar alive?
No. Major Mohit Sharma was killed in action on 21 March 2009, during an encounter in the Hafruda forest in Kupwara, Jammu & Kashmir. He was posthumously awarded the Ashoka Chakra India’s highest peacetime gallantry award in 2010. His family contested the release of Dhurandhar, believing the film was based on his story without their consent.
5. Who is Major Tahir Iqbal in Pakistan the real Major Iqbal?
The film’s villain Major Iqbal (Arjun Rampal) is based on Ilyas Kashmiri, a Pakistani Special Forces operative turned militant leader, once described as the “most dangerous man on Earth” by CNN. Kashmiri was linked to the 2008 Mumbai attacks and killed in a US drone strike in 2011. Some analyses also link the name to a real ISI operative called “Major Iqbal” who appeared in 26/11 investigations.
6. What is the controversy of the Dhurandhar movie?
The film sparked five major controversies: allegations of hypernationalist propaganda; a legal battle from Major Mohit Sharma’s family; criticism for blending fiction with real historical events; Ranveer Singh’s Bhoota Kola ritual controversy; and a fiercely polarized online debate that led critics to be harassed for negative reviews. It was also banned in Gulf countries and Pakistan.
7. Where can I watch Dhurandhar?
Dhurandhar (Part 1) is available to stream on Netflix globally as of January 2026. Dhurandhar: The Revenge (Part 2) released in theatres on 19 March 2026. Its OTT release date has not yet been confirmed.
