Dhurandhar: Dawood Ibrahim, Masood Azhar or Osama Bin Laden, who is ‘Bade Sahab’ in Ranveer Singh’s film?

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Dawood Ibrahim in Dhurandhar?

In the first film, Sanjay Dutt’s SP Chaudhary Aslam often refers to ‘Bade Sahab’, the one who is supposedly pulling the strings, but, the film doesn’t reveal his identity. Fans online have been floating their theories about the same. And the most popular one dictates that ‘Bade Sahab’ is Dawood Ibrahim. This theory took off after the cast list of the film saw the character of Dawood Ibrahim, played by actor Danish Iqbal. Fans believe that might have appeared here for a fraction of second, and might have a longer part in the sequel.

Is This Dhurandhar Easter Egg Hinting at Bade Sahab’s Identity?
Credit – Reddit BBNG post#Dhurandar #Dhurandhar2 pic.twitter.com/VPPV30n2X3

— BollyGupp (@BollyGup) December 11, 2025

R Madhavan plays Ajay Sanyal in Dhurandhar.

Is Masood Azhar Dhurandhar’s ‘Bade Sahab’?

Another theory suggests that ‘Bade sahab’ could be Masood Azhar. The film opens with R Madhavan’s Ajay Sanyal negotiating with the terrorists during the IC814 hijacking in Kandahar. It was during this negotiation that the Indian government had to release Masood Azhar, along with Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh and Mushtaq Ahmed Zargar, for the freedom of innocent Indian hostages. It is believed that if Masood Azhar is the ‘Bade Sahab’ here, then it could tie the entire saga together.

Fans discussing Dhurandhar theories on Reddit.

Osama bin Laden pulling the strings?

There is also a theory suggesting that all strings are being pulled by Osama Bin Laden. As per the film’s timeline, Osama is still alive, as he was killed in 2011. While the film has not dropped any hints about Osama’s involvement here, it wouldn’t be far-fetched to imagine that he is the man behind the terror activities across the subcontinent.

Akshaye Khanna’s Rehman Dakait died in the first part of Dhurandhar.

Dhurandhar Part 2: Duration and release date

The first part introduced many characters across its three-and-a-half-hour runtime, and it seems like the sequel will be just as long. Danish Pandor, who plays Uzair Baloch in the film, recently revealed, in a chat with IndiaTV Showbiz, that the filming was completed in October, after beginning in July 2024. This means that Aditya Dhar has shot approximately seven hours of film in a span of 16 months. When asked about the runtime of the film, Danish said, “It is almost going to be the same because the content is so beautiful. There is no way it can be cut.”

Dhurandhar sequel releases on March 19, 2026. The film will clash against Yash-starrer Toxic.