What is the big fuss over the Bollywood film Dhurandhar? It’s an attempt by Bollywood to make a film on Karachi and its gang wars, and in the process, it has generated considerable debate on both sides of the border.

Most of the debate is only to be expected, such as on Indian intelligence infiltration among Karachi’s underbelly. This is something that many in Karachi have known for a number of years, especially if you’ve been working in the city as a journalist.

It’s not really a secret that foreign intelligence agencies send agents and infiltrate them into countries seen as their enemies or adversaries. This is commonplace worldwide, especially when adversaries are in proximity to each other, as with India and Pakistan.

In fact, as a journalist, one has many a story of how the spooks of one country managed to infiltrate the other’s society for several years undercover. How many of these are true and how many are made up is difficult to say, but it can be said with a degree of certainty that some of it is true.

So, all the ruckus about an Indian movie pushing the narrative of Indian intelligence agents disguised as gangsters in Karachi is difficult to understand. After all, since when has Bollywood pushed any narrative other than that of the Indian establishment and state, and its military? Why would it be any different this time? And like other attempts to push its state and official narrative, especially on things that have to do with Pakistan, it has made several major........

© The Friday Times