Hamza Ali Mazari, played by Ranveer Singh, is the central character of the Dhurandhar film series. His story has generated considerable interest because the character is presented as an undercover Indian operative who infiltrates Karachi’s criminal and terrorist networks.
However, there is an important distinction between the film’s fictional story and real-life events.
Who is Hamza Ali Mazari?
In the Dhurandhar storyline, Hamza Ali Mazari is actually Jaskirat Singh Rangi, an Indian man from Pathankot.
The second film, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, reveals his backstory and explains how Jaskirat eventually becomes Hamza.
Jaskirat comes from a family with a military background. His life takes a tragic turn after his family is targeted because of a local political and land dispute. Following the deaths and attacks on his family, Jaskirat takes revenge and is eventually arrested and sentenced to death.
While in custody, however, his life takes another dramatic turn.
How Jaskirat Becomes Hamza
Indian intelligence officers identify Jaskirat as someone who could be useful for a dangerous undercover mission.
He is recruited into a covert intelligence operation and trained for infiltration. He is eventually given the identity of Hamza Ali Mazari and sent into Pakistan.
His mission is to infiltrate the criminal networks operating in Karachi’s Lyari area, gain the trust of powerful gangsters and uncover the connection between organized crime, terrorism and intelligence networks.
His Life Inside Karachi’s Underworld
Once inside Lyari, Hamza gradually builds his reputation.
He becomes associated with powerful figures in Karachi’s underworld, including Rehman Dakait, while simultaneously working toward the objectives of his secret mission.
The character is forced to live a double life. To maintain his cover, he has to participate in the criminal world while secretly collecting intelligence and manipulating relationships within the network.
This eventually puts him in conflict with both gangsters and intelligence officials.
Is Hamza Based on Major Mohit Sharma?
This is one of the biggest questions surrounding the character.
After the film’s release, many people believed that Ranveer Singh’s character was based on Major Mohit Sharma, the decorated Indian Army officer who famously infiltrated terrorist groups while operating undercover.
There are similarities between the real officer’s story and Hamza’s fictional character, which helped fuel the speculation.
However, director Aditya Dhar has denied that Hamza is a portrayal of Major Mohit Sharma. The filmmakers have maintained that Dhurandhar is a fictional spy thriller rather than a biographical film about Major Sharma.
The controversy became significant enough that Major Mohit Sharma’s family raised objections regarding the character and the alleged similarities.
What Is Real and What Is Fiction?
The film mixes fictional characters with elements inspired by real events and personalities.
The Karachi/Lyari underworld, political networks, terrorism and several of the historical events referenced in the films have real-world parallels.
Characters such as Rehman Dakait and Chaudhary Aslam are based on real figures associated with Karachi’s violent underworld and law-enforcement history.
However, Jaskirat Singh Rangi and Hamza Ali Mazari are fictional characters created for the film’s story.
The Real Identity of Hamza
Within the film:
Jaskirat Singh Rangi → Indian operative → Hamza Ali Mazari
Hamza is therefore not the name of a documented real-life Indian spy. It is the undercover identity adopted by Jaskirat as part of the fictional intelligence operation.
What Happens to Hamza?
By the end of the second film, Jaskirat’s undercover mission reaches its conclusion. He has spent years living as Hamza and has become deeply embedded in the criminal and political networks of Karachi.
Eventually, he abandons the Hamza identity and returns to being Jaskirat Singh Rangi.
The ending emphasizes the personal cost of his mission: despite completing his assignment, he has lost much of his original life and must live with the consequences of years spent undercover.
The Bottom Line
Hamza Ali Mazari is not a confirmed real-life person. He is a fictional character created for Dhurandhar, with the story drawing inspiration from real intelligence operations, Karachi’s underworld and historical events.
The character’s fictional identity is Jaskirat Singh Rangi, played by Ranveer Singh. While his story has similarities to the lives of real undercover officers—including the widely discussed Major Mohit Sharma—the filmmakers have not officially identified Hamza as Major Mohit Sharma.
So, Dhurandhar is best understood as a fictional spy thriller built around real historical and geopolitical elements, rather than the direct biography of one particular Indian spy.
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