Noreen Aslam, widow of legendary Pakistani police officer Chaudhary Aslam Khan, has threatened legal action against the makers of the blockbuster Bollywood film Dhurandhar over what she calls a disrespectful and propagandist portrayal of her late husband. In a podcast interview with Dialogue Pakistan, Noreen objected to a line in the film’s trailer where Sanjay Dutt’s character—loosely based on Chaudhary Aslam—is described as “the offspring of the devil and a jinn.” She termed the dialogue deeply offensive to Muslim sensibilities and an insult to her husband’s mother, a “simple, honest woman”, warning that she would pursue “all legal steps” if the final film contains further misrepresentation or propaganda against Pakistan.

Chaudhary Aslam, played by Sanjay Dutt in the Aditya Dhar-directed espionage thriller, was a real-life Karachi SP who led the Lyari Task Force in the early 2010s, eliminating several notorious gangsters during Operation Lyari. Known for his fearless approach, he survived a Taliban suicide bombing in 2011 before being assassinated by the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in January 2014. While Noreen acknowledged that her husband had been a huge Sanjay Dutt fan since watching Khalnayak in the 1990s and believed the actor would do justice to his personality, she drew a firm line at derogatory language that she says maligns both her family and Pakistan.

Dhurandhar, which presents a semi-fictionalised account of India’s covert operations against terror networks in Karachi’s Lyari area, has several characters inspired by real figures from that period. Despite receiving mixed critical reviews for its jingoistic tone, the Ranveer Singh starrer has been a runaway commercial success, crossing ₹99 crore net in India over its opening weekend and benefiting from strong word-of-mouth. The film also features Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, and Sara Ali Khan in pivotal roles.

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The controversy marks the latest instance of real-life figures or their families raising objections to Bollywood’s creative liberties in patriotic action dramas. While the makers have maintained that Dhurandhar is a work of fiction “inspired by” true events and cleared by the Central Board of Film Certification, Noreen Aslam’s public statement has reignited debate over artistic freedom versus respectful portrayal of foreign law-enforcement officers who fought terrorism.

As the film continues its dominant box-office run, all eyes are now on whether the final cut retains the contentious dialogue or if legal notices from across the border force last-minute changes.

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