Ranveer Singh-starrer Dhurandhar ended on a significant note as Akshaye Khanna’s Rehman Dakait was killed by Ranveer’s Hamza in collusion with Sanjay Dutt’s Chaudhry Aslam Khan. Towards the end of the film, we see Rehman’s brother Uzair, played by Danish Pandor, reaching the hospital as he breaks down in Hamza’s arms, since he is completely unaware that he has killed his older brother. But, Uzair’s story is not over yet as he will come back in Dhurandhar 2, which releases in March.
In real life, Uzair Baloch was a dreaded gangster who took over Rehman’s gang after his death, and was responsible for the brutal killing of gangster Arshad Pappu, whose mutilated body was found in Lyari. It is also said that locals saw Uzair and his colleagues toss around Arshad’s body after killing him, and even spotted them playing football with his severed head.
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Uzair Baloch’s entry in the world of crime
Uzair was the cousin of Rehman Dakait. In 2003, Uzair’s father, Faiz Muhammad, was kidnapped for ransom by Arshad Pappu, and was later brutally killed. Arshad entered the world of crime after this incident as his cousin Rehman Dakait invited him to join his gang. Rehman had a hold over the Lyari gangs in those days, and he too, had a beef with Arshad Pappu as he was trying to assert his dominance on Lyari.
Akshaye Khanna plays the crime kingpin Rehman Dakait in Dhurandhar who is killed in a staged encounter.
It was around the same time that Uzair was also arrested by Chaudhry Aslam Khan, played by Sanjay Dutt, in Dhurandhar, but was later released, thanks to Rehman’s connections with politicians. But, even this took two years as Uzair was imprisoned in the Karachi central prison.. As per a report by Dawn, Uzair was not interested in joining Rehman’s gang at first, but he was persuaded since they had a common enemy.
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Uzair Baloch’s dominance after Rehman Dakait’s encounter
Rehman Dakait was killed in an encounter in 2009 and while many eyebrows were raised about who was behind the murder, Uzair Baloch decided to take charge of the gang since he was the de facto leader at this point. He also took over Rehman’s political party, People’s Aman Committee (PAC), which had a strong hold on Lyari elections. Much like the film, Uzair and Rehman had a connection with the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leaders and after Rehman’s death, PPP continued to protect Uzair till 2012.
In 2011, PAC was dissolved under the Anti-terrorism Act in Pakistan. Uzair could not contest elections under his party now, but posters of his face, and his dominance in Lyari continued.
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Rivalry between Nabil Gabol and Uzair Baloch
Rakesh Bedi’s character Jameel Jamali is loosely based on the Pakistani politician Nabil Gabol and as per Vice News’ 2012 documentary on Lyari, ‘Guide to Karachi’, it is obvious that Nabil and Aslam had joined hands, and their main mission was to get rid of Uzair. It was in 2012 that PPP and PAC were completely at war with each other, and this reportedly started the ‘Lyari grand operation’ in 2012, led by Chaudhary Aslam.
The Vice documentary shows that Nabil, who was the local elected representative of the are, had not visited Lyari in 4 years. Nabil and Uzair are completely at odds with each other at this point. The locals described Uzair as “Robin Hood” and questioned Nabil’s absence. Nabil’s first visit in Lyari had him carrying a gun as he said that Lyari had a “Chicago-like mafia.” Uzair, who was being targeted at this point, said that this was happening because of the local good that he had done in the area.
Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar is set in Pakistan’s Lyari.
Uzair Baloch’s multi-storey house with swimming pool in Lyari
The area of Lyari in Karachi is known for the local gang wars but it is often stated that the locals here struggled for clean water, and wages. In such a place, Uzair, who was known for his extortion rackets and drug dealings, built himself a 4-floor mansion with a swimming pol.
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Arshad Pappu’s killing on the streets
In 2013, years after the death of Rehman Dakait, Uzair Baloch got hold of Arshad Pappu and killed him. It is said that parts of his body were mutilated and burnt on the streets of Lyari. Some eyewitnesses claim that Arshad’s head was used as a football by Uzair and his men after they killed him on the streets of Lyari. In the film, Arshad Pappu makes a small appearance when Rakesh Bedi’s Jameel plans to get Rehman Dakait killed via Chaudhry Aslam. Here, Arshad is shown as a co-conspirator. It appears that his character will significance in the sequel.
Sanjay Dutt plays Chaudhary Aslam in Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar.
By 2014, there were over 50 cases of extortion against Uzair and he was also involved in killings of many gangsters and police officers. The government issued a warrant against him but before his arrest, he managed to leave the country. In 2015, he was arrested by Interpol at Dubai International Airport and brought back to Pakistan.
In 2020, Uzair was sentenced to 12 years imprisonment and sent to Karachi Central Jail. Just a few days ago, Uzair was acquitted in a 2012 arms case due to lack of evidence. He continues to be in prison.
