‘Real Jameel Jamali’ Nabil Gabol Announces Plans To Make His Own Dhurandhar Amid Trolling After Sequel's Twist

Pakistani politician Nabil Gabol is objecting to online trolling after the release of Dhurandhar 2, insisting the character Jameel Jamali draws directly from Nabil Gabol’s political career in Lyari. Nabil Gabol has said the film spreads lies about events in the area and plans to answer these claims with a separate movie project of Nabil Gabol’s own.

Nabil Gabol has stated that abuse directed at Nabil Gabol on Indian social media increased once Dhurandhar 2 hit cinemas. Nabil Gabol argues that the trolling is tied to how Jameel Jamali is written and revealed in the film. Spoiler alert for Dhurandhar 2 follows for readers who have not yet watched it.

Dhurandhar 2 controversy and Nabil Gabol's response

Speaking in an interview with a content creator, Nabil Gabol alleged that Jameel, played by Rakesh Bedi, mirrors Nabil Gabol because Nabil Gabol was the MNA for Lyari during the period shown. The content creator asked Nabil Gabol about Jameel Jamali later being unmasked as an R&AW officer, which Nabil Gabol linked to India’s alleged strategy against Pakistan.

Responding to that plot twist, Nabil Gabol said, "The truth is that they cannot fight Pakistan or the Pakistani Army, so they created a movie instead. Through this, they have made Lyari internationally famous. The people of Lyari do not care; they are very strong. They used a comedian, Rakesh Bedi, to play my role and portrayed him as Nabil Gabol. Rakesh Bedi later claimed, 'No, I didn't just base it on Nabil Gabol; I made it a general depiction of all Pakistani politicians'. However, in 2007, the MNA of Lyari was Nabil Gabol."

Nabil Gabol further addressed the social media chatter about Nabil Gabol’s silence after Dhurandhar 2 released. Nabil Gabol said, "I see a lot of trolling on Indian social media asking why Nabil Gabol has gone silent. Well, today is the 26th, and I will give you a powerful response, just as the Pakistani Army responded to you. Just as six of your planes were shot down, I will also give you a proper answer regarding what Lyari actually is."

Nabil Gabol and Dhurandhar 2 in Lyari's political backdrop

As part of that promised response, Nabil Gabol announced plans for a film from Nabil Gabol’s perspective. Nabil Gabol said this production would counter what Nabil Gabol views as falsehoods in Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar 2. Nabil Gabol added the project would not be called Dhurandhar 3, but would instead carry the title Lyari Ka Gabbar.

Nabil Gabol’s discomfort with the Dhurandhar film series began with the first movie, Dhurandhar, released last year. At that time, Nabil Gabol had already criticised what Nabil Gabol believed was a portrayal based on Nabil Gabol. The criticism came while Nabil Gabol was interacting with media outlets in Pakistan after the film’s release.

During that earlier interaction, Nabil Gabol was asked if Nabil Gabol would approach any international forum seeking a ban on Dhurandhar. The film had drawn objections from several voices in Pakistan who said it was 'tarnishing the country's image’. Nabil Gabol replied that pursuing such a case abroad would need resources that Nabil Gabol did not have.

Nabil Gabol still singled out Nabil Gabol’s depiction in Dhurandhar at that time. Nabil Gabol said, "Jo mera role dikhaya gaya hai, mera role bahut dabbang tha, or dabbang iss tareeke se tha ki inhone mere role ko sahi tareeke se nahi dikhaya (I was very audacious. But they haven't shown me the way I was)." Nabil Gabol has now repeated this dissatisfaction after Dhurandhar 2 intensified focus on Lyari’s politics.

Dhurandhar films centre on Ranveer Singh’s character, an Indian spy who enters criminal networks in Lyari, Pakistan. The franchise also features Arjun Rampal, Akshaye Khanna, Sara Arjun, Sanjay Dutt and other actors. The second instalment, Dhurandhar 2, has crossed more than ₹1000 crore worldwide within a week, adding weight to the debate around Nabil Gabol’s claims.

The strong box office showing of Dhurandhar 2 has extended discussions about its political references and Nabil Gabol’s ongoing objections. With Nabil Gabol promising Lyari Ka Gabbar as a reply, debate over how Lyari, Pakistan’s politics and intelligence agencies are shown on screen is likely to continue among viewers in both countries.