'Watching Dhurandhar 2 in Lahore': Journalist faces backlash for boasting about a pirated version in Pakistan

The nationwide celebration of Dhurandhar: The Revenge has been met with a sour note online. A Pakistani journalist is currently facing heavy criticism after a tweet of him enjoying a pirated version of the film on release day went viral, causing a stir across all major social media networks.

Seasoned journalist Khalid Mehmood Khalid is facing a massive backlash on X after bragging about watching a pirated version of Dhurandhar 2 in Lahore.

On Thursday night, he posted a short clip and wrote, “Watching Dhurandhar 2 in Lahore", and his post didn't just upset the Indian audience but also triggered a heated debate over the film industry’s struggle to curb piracy. Netizens were quick to lash out at the journalist, calling him out for openly boasting a pirated copy. Netizens said that his act is both unprofessional and disrespectful to the makers.

Screengrab of Khalid Mehmood's viral post on X.

Beyond the piracy row, Khalid has been heavily criticized within Pakistan for watching a film perceived as anti-Pakistan. Pakistani netizens continue to bash the journalist and accuse him of enjoying a movie that spreads hate and shows their country in a bad light.

Indian movies may be a "forbidden fruit" in Pakistan due to the ban, but it is an " open secret " that Indian films are being consumed by the millions. Earlier, New Zealand-based Karl Rock exposed the thriving underground market for the Indian movies, and he showed pirated copies of Indian movies stacked up in large numbers and being sold illegally.

On the other side, Indian netizens took the opportunity to troll the journalist, flooding his feed with demands for an honest review of the movie. The comment section has been flooded with mixed reactions from both Indian and Pakistani users.

Produced by Jyoti Deshpande and Lokesh Dhar, Dhurandhar: The Revenge stars Ranveer Singh as Jaskirat Singh Rangi. The sequel follows Rangi’s transformation into Hamza Ali Mazari, a deep-cover operative infiltrating the Karachi underworld.

Released on March 19, this pan-India release explores Mazari's rise to power and his mysterious origins, featuring a powerhouse supporting cast including R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, Sara Arjun and Rakesh Bedi. Dhurandhar 2 is available in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam languages.