When Dhurandhar was released in early December, few expected it to linger in public conversation the way it has. Yet weeks after its release, the film continues to pull audiences into theatres, not just on the strength of its action or political stakes, but because it keeps revealing new layers on repeat viewing, including the imposing Lyari mansion that has now become almost as talked about as the characters who inhabit it.
The AURA Of Akshaye Khanna ft. Dhurandhar
Much of that credit circles back to Akshaye Khanna. His portrayal of Rehman Dakait has quietly become one of the most talked-about performances of recent years. There are no overt theatrics here, no raised voice announcing villainy. Instead, Khanna leans into restraint with the pauses, the measured glances, the unsettling calm and the AURA (yes, in capitals). Industry peers and audiences alike seem in rare agreement that this is an actor operating at complete ease with his craft, deepening a legacy built on precision.
One scene, in particular, has taken on a life of its own online. Rehman, at home, shares a moment with his wife and a child, a gentle forehead kiss, almost disarmingly soft. His wife, played by Saumya Tandon, isn’t framed as a background presence but as emotional ballast.
The scene feels lifted from a literary novel rather than a gangster film, it is rom-com coded, tender, and deeply intimate. That tenderness, placed inside a violent narrative, has caught audiences off guard. Clips of the scene circulate with captions calling it “fictional book-coded,” “pookie dakait,” and “the moment that changed how I saw Rehman Dakait.” It humanises without excusing, and that balance is hard to pull off.
Also Read: Arjun Rampal Enjoys ‘Dhurandhar’ Desserts With His Gang At THIS Restaurant In Goa
The Lyari Mansion No One Can Stop Talking About: Dhurandhar
What viewers didn’t know at first was that this now-iconic domestic space wasn’t located in Pakistan at all!
Recent reporting and on-the-ground interviews have revealed that Rehman Dakait’s Lyari mansion was filmed at Lal Kothi, a historic property in Amritsar. Managed by a trust and long used as a filming location, Lal Kothi hosted the Dhurandhar crew for two days.
Caretaker Deepak Yadav confirmed that several cast members, including Akshaye Khanna and Ranveer Singh, shot key scenes there. He also disclosed that the property charges approximately ₹50,000 per day for film shoots, a figure that quickly took on a life of its own online.
This revelation adds another layer to Dhurandhar’s visual storytelling. While large portions of Lyari were recreated on expansive sets in Bangkok, Lal Kothi’s weathered walls and old-world architecture grounded the film’s most intimate moments. It’s a reminder of how cinema often works best, not through scale alone, but through carefully chosen spaces that carry emotional symbolism.
Where: Lal Kothi, Verka, Patti, Amritsar
Cost: ₹50,000/night
In Dhurandhar’s case, a quiet kiss inside a century-old Amritsar kothi has ended up saying more than gunfire ever could.
Cover Image Courtesy: vibeshwar_/Instagram