SP MP Afzal Ansari slams Dhurandhar 2 makers over portrayal of Atiq Ahmed: ‘When they want to avail benefit…’

The character of Atif Ahmed in Dhurandhar 2, which is directed by Aditya Dhar, is inspired by UP gangster Atiq Ahmed.

Ever since Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar The Revenge was released, the film has remained firmly in the spotlight. While it has enjoyed a largely positive reception, social media hasn’t held back from picking apart its weaker moments. Now, Samajwadi Party MP Afzal Ansari has taken aim at the makers of Dhurandhar 2, criticising their portrayal of gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed.

Led by Ranveer Singh, Dhurandhar 2 was released on March 19.

SP MP Afzal Ansari slams Dhurandhar 2 makers

Several social media users believed that the character of Atif Ahmed in Dhurandhar 2, which is directed by Aditya Dhar, is inspired by UP gangster Atiq Ahmed. Former MP and Mafioso-turned-politician Atiq and his brother Khalid Azeem aka Ashraf were killed on April 15, 2023.

During an interview with ANI, Afzal Ansari slammed the makers of the film franchise for cashing in on a real-life individual to earn money at the box office.

Talking about Dhurandhar: The Revenge, Afzal Ansari said in Hindi, “I have not watched that film. Film industry comes with stories. The screenplay is not based on true incidents. They issue a disclaimer. But they think about how their film will succeed. The story should be interesting. When they want to avail benefit, sell film tickets and get relief from government, they can throw up any name in the air.”

He added, “They portrayed Atiq Ahmed's character and perhaps declared him an ISI agent. He is no more. But those who are still alive have made up a false 'baikunth' here and executed crime with Dawood Ibrahim by their side...No film is being made on them. So, the public can understand all of this..."

Meanwhile, in an interview with Hindustan Times, Dhurandhar casting director Mukesh Chhabra spoke about how he found Atiq Ahmed and Nawaz Sharif lookalikes for Dhurandhar 2.

Opening about how he and his team balanced between looking for actors who resembled the characters and finding solid performers, Mukesh says, “It depends on the role. In some roles, I went for physical appearance. But for others, I needed a great performer, and then we could make them look like the character. For instance, with Atif Ahmed, I wanted him to look like Atiq Ahmed. Of course, he also needed to act. So, it had to be a mix and match of both. Then, I knew (Danish Pandor, who plays) Uzair Baloch is a great actor, and you can create his look accordingly. There, we needed a good actor first.”

About Dhurandhar 2

The sequel, titled Dhurandhar The Revenge, was released on March 19. Apart from Ranveer Singh, R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, Sara Arjun and Rakesh Bedi have reprised their roles in the film. Set in Lyari town of Karachi, an area known for its history of gang wars and violent turf battles, Dhurandhar revolved around covert intelligence operations against the backdrop of geopolitical and terror events like the Kandahar plane hijack, the 2001 Parliament Attack and the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

The sequel charts the rise of Ranveer's character, Hamza Ali Mazari, in the Karachi underworld, while also delving into his origins as Jaskirat Singh Rangi, tracing the journey of the young man who eventually becomes a covert operative. Dhurandhar The Revenge is produced by Jyoti Deshpande and Lokesh Dhar and released in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam. The film has minted ₹575.67 crore in India till now, and raked in ₹900 crore globally.