'Dhurandhar' crosses ₹150 crore: About Rehman Dakait, the real-life gangster who inspired Akshaye Khanna's character

Aditya Dhar-directorial Dhurandhar, the spy thriller starring Ranveer Singh in the lead role, has crossed ₹150 crore at the domestic box office and is nearing ₹200 crore worldwide on the back of positive reviews. Critics and moviegoers alike have mostly praised Akshaye Khanna's portrayal of the dreaded Pakistani gangster Rehman Dakait. 

The portrayal by Khanna was loved so much that his entry scene has become one of the most iconic and trending moments on social media.

All about Rehman Dakait, the Pakistani gangster who slit his mother's throat as a teen

Born in Karachi's Lyari area, he was named Sardar Abdul Rehman Baloch and went on to become dreaded as Rehman Dakait later on. He was into drug peddling during his teen years and committed his first crime at the age of 15. 

He murdered his own mother, Khadija Biwi, who was allegedly having an affair with Iqbal, the gangster who murdered Rehman's father. He reportedly shot his mother 3 times, slit her throat and buried her secretly. 

Some other media reports, however, suggest that at 19, he strangled his mother and then hanged her from a fan. In the late 1990s, he joined Haji Lalu's gang, a significant criminal syndicate in Lyari.

Following Lalu's arrest in 2001, Rehman inherited the entire operation. Between 2001 and 2009, Rehman became one of Pakistan's most feared criminals. He was linked to kidnappings, extortion rackets, drug trafficking, and shootouts with rival gangs and police in and around Karachi.

He ruled Lyari with his cousin and second-in-command, Uzair Baloch, and his notorious associate Baba Ladla. The two would reportedly play football with the severed heads of the enemies on Rehman's orders. 

Later, he was killed in a targeted government shootout with Karachi police on August 9, 2009 at the age of 34. After his death, his cousin Uzair Baloch became the head of the People's Aman Committee.