India, Dec. 8 -- Dhurandhar may star Ranveer Singh in the lead, but it is Akshaye Khanna who is walking away with all the plaudits. The ensemble spy thriller features the veteran actor as Rehman Baloch, aka Rehman Dakait, one of the film's antagonists. And while Akshaye's performance in bringing him to life is being praised, many have pointed out that the real Rehman Dakait was even more ferocious than what we see on screen.

Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar draws from real-life incidents to present a semi-fictionalised account of India's war against terror in Pakistan. It is set in the late 2000s in Karachi's Lyari, a hotbed of gang activity. Akshaye Khanna plays Rehman, who rules Lyari with his cousin and second-in-command, Uzair Baloch (played...