Karachi’s Lyari has been in the buzz for a while, since India and Pakistan battle over the region’s representation. After Dhurandar’s release, Sindh Information Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon announced the posters for “Mera Lyari”, a film to debunk the Indian-tainted version of Lyari. Set to release in January 2026, Memon stated that Lyari is not about violence, but about culture, peace and resilience, while announcing the upcoming release. He posted on X:
Indian movie Dhurandhar is yet another example of negative propaganda by the Indian film industry against Pakistan, especially targeting Lyari. Lyari is not violence—it is culture, peace, talent, and resilience. Next month Mera Lyari will release, showing the true face of Lyari:… pic.twitter.com/v2FsVMfWsB
— Sharjeel Inam Memon (@sharjeelinam) December 13, 2025
Produced by Ayesha Omar and directed and written by Abu Aleeha, the cast includes Dananeer Mobeen, Shoaib Hassan, Nayyar Ejaz, Adnan Shah Tipu, Ayesha Omar, Trinette Lucus, Samiya Mumtaz and Paras Masroor.
Ayesha Omar also announced the release of the film and posted on Instagram:
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Instant cheer rose as the audience was pleased that a counter-narrative would be brought forward after a propaganda action film from Bollywood. Saying that no propaganda can dim the light of talent and strength of Lyari and its inhabitants, a netizen posted:
Lyari is not just a place it’s a symbol of strength, talent, and unmatched resilience. No amount of propaganda can dim its light.Lies fade, truth shines Dhurandhar can distort, but #MeraLyari will restore!
— Khalid Baloch (@KhalidBaloch287) December 13, 2025
Another user took X to share a personal experience, narrating how stereotypes have shadowed the actual lives of people in Lyari. They stated:
My sister-in-law recently visited Lyari and was amazed by the talent there. One young girl told her she feels safer in Lyari than in the rest of Karachi. It really makes you question how much we rely on stereotypes instead of lived realities. Lyari isn’t what it’s portrayed to… https://t.co/3xcNK22XWK
— Syedih (@SyedIHusain) December 14, 2025
Dhurandar cannot silence the spirit of Lyari, another netizen stated on X; they posted:
Lyari’s spirit cannot be silenced. A community of culture, strength, and hope, not the tales of violence some try to sell. While misinformation spreads, Mera Lyari will showcase the true story of pride, resilience, and progress.
🎬 Coming January 2026.#MeraLyari… https://t.co/G2dWBfPHWX
— Kashif Raza Banbhan (Advocate) (@banbhan_raza) December 13, 2025
Saying that Mera Lyari will speak for itself against the propaganda, another netizen said:
Absolutely. Truth doesn’t need distortion to survive. Lyari’s identity is culture, resilience, and peace, not the propaganda being pushed.
“Mera Lyari” will speak for itself. 🇵🇰 https://t.co/uTkxWDhFRe— Hamza Siddiqui (@Hamza_SDQ21) December 14, 2025
What left the people divided was whether Lyari was being represented accurately in the film. Influencer Bilal Hassan(MystaPaki) posted on Instagram, questioning the casting choices. He stated that Sindhis and Baloch have been heavily stereotyped in the film industry, where a fair-skinned actor is cast with dark-skinned makeup instead of local talent. Here too, Dananeer Mobeen, originally a Pashtoon, was cast to represent a Baloch Lyari citizen. He posted:
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Another netizen questioned Dananeer’s casting as a Lyari inhabitant and argued that other actors would have been a better choice. They posted:
No hate to Dana but casting her to rep a typical Lyari Karachiite doesn’t make much sense. It would’ve been better to go with someone with features closer to Lyari’s local identity. Romaisa or even Janice could’ve been a better option https://t.co/ETYSyux8g8
— smexy (@SMEXY_2OO4) December 16, 2025
A netizen stated that it would have been great if local talent had been brought on board to show a closer look at Lyari’s reality. They posted:
I hope Liyari’s local talented artists must have been given chance to perform in the movie to bring it to more closer to reality. And also so-called mainstream entertainment industry has always ignored local talent, be it performing artists, singers, sports stars, musicians.
— Shazia Nizamani (@nizshaz29) December 15, 2025
Another netizen stated that none of the main leads are actually Lyari citizens. They posted:
Local artist kon hai movie mai, bus yeh hi baat lyari ki taraqi dekhaney k lye kafi hai, liari Ka Tou chora sibd sai bhi Nahi hai koi
— Ancho (@ambreen99130765) December 14, 2025
Yet director Abu Aleeha swiftly defended his film and took to Instagram to state that it was shot in the authentic Lyari district and that 80 per cent of the cast are locals, including Shoaib Hassan, the film’s hero. The supporting cast included members of the local football teams. He posted:
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