One of the most quietly remarkable things about the Dhurandhar franchise is something most audiences never noticed – Pakistan, as seen in both films, does not exist.
Every alley, every rooftop, every grand villa and crumbling haveli that director Aditya Dhar used to construct the world of Karachi and Lyari was shot on Indian and Thai soil. Notably, the 6-acre set for Lyari was made in Thailand.
Now, as Dhurandhar: The Revenge continues its record-breaking theatrical run, two of the film’s most striking locations have been identified – and the story behind them is as cinematic as the films themselves.
Hamza’s Karachi villa is actually in Amritsar
In Dhurandhar: The Revenge, as Jaskirat Singh Rangi rises to become the kingpin of Lyari under his alias Hamza Ali Mazari, he purchases a grand villa for his wife Yalina – a sprawling, opulent property that appears on screen as a high-end Karachi bungalow with grand arches, polished stone and designer interiors.
The reveal came through an Instagram post by 23DC Architects on March 20, who confirmed that the luxury residence is their project – a villa called Ananda, located in Amritsar, Punjab.
They wrote: “That house from Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar: The Revenge? It’s actually in Punjab! We’re delighted to see our project, Ananda, featured on the big screen.”
According to 23DC Architects, Ananda was built with landscape preservation in mind while retaining Indian design sensibilities throughout. Light meets space in a thoughtful rhythm across the sprawling 16,000 sq ft property, with open courtyards, manicured gardens, spacious bedrooms, a spiral staircase, stone sculptures of Buddha and glass walls. The property was completed in 2024.
In the film, the villa was the backdrop for several key scenes, including intense confrontations and lavish parties that demonstrate just how far Hamza has come from the dusty streets of Lyari.
Rehman Dakait’s Lyari mansion is a 19th-century Amritsar haveli
This is not the first time Amritsar’s architecture doubled as Pakistan in the Dhurandhar franchise. According to NDTV and Hindustan Times, in the original film, the lavish Lyari home of gangster Rehman Dakait – played by Akshaye Khanna – was revealed to be Lal Kothi; a 19th-century heritage haveli in Amritsar known for its soaring ceilings and intricate stonework.
News18 confirmed that the property charges approximately Rs 50,000 per day for film shoots – and in Dhurandhar, it became one of the most visually memorable locations in the entire film.
The choice of Lal Kothi was not accidental. Its aged grandeur, ornate detailing and labyrinthine layout perfectly captured the sense of a criminal empire built over generations – the kind of home that power and corruption buy.
When Ranveer Singh’s Jaskirat finally walks through those gates, the weight of the architecture alone tells you everything about the man he is up against.
What the locations of the Dhurandhar franchise reveal collectively is a filmmaking philosophy that is as politically interesting as it is technically impressive.
Aditya Dhar chose to represent Pakistan entirely through Indian locations – using India’s own architecture, landscapes and cities to construct the visual world of Karachi and Lyari. It is, in its own quiet way, the most subversive detail in the entire franchise.