In the modern geopolitical arena, wars are no longer fought solely with ballistics and border skirmishes; they are fought in the collective imagination of the global audience.

The weapon of choice is “soft power”—the ability to shape preferences and perceptions through attraction rather than coercion. For decades, India has masterfully wielded Bollywood as its most potent division in this theatre, and the recent release of “Dhurandhar” is a sharp reminder of just how aggressive this strategy has become.

The film, a high-octane spy thriller featuring Ranveer Singh as an Indian operative infiltrating the streets of Lyari, is not merely entertainment. It is a carefully curated narrative. By depicting one of Karachi’s oldest and most culturally rich neighbourhoods as little more than a brooding hive of cross-border terrorism, “Dhurandhar” reinforces a specific, damaging caricature of Pakistan for global consumption. It is a classic........

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