How Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar team recreated Pakistan’s Lyari town in Bangkok in just 20 days with 500 workers

How Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar team recreated Pakistan’s Lyari town in Bangkok in just 20 days with 500 workers

Creating a believable world is often one of the toughest challenges in large-scale action films, and Dhurandhar took that challenge head-on. To authentically recreate Lyari, one of Karachi’s most complex and densely populated neighbourhoods, the makers built a massive six-acre set in Bangkok in just 20 days, employing nearly 500 workers daily. The ambitious set construction was led by production designer Saini S Johray, who recently opened up about the scale and logistics behind the project.

Dhurandhar was extensively shot across Bangkok, Mumbai and Chandigarh for its two-part narrative. However, most scenes depicting Lyari were filmed in Thailand. Speaking earlier to The Hollywood Reporter India, Johray revealed that the team chose Bangkok after extensive location recces across multiple countries.

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“We had to build this six-acre set in 20 days in a country where I couldn’t take a lot of people from India. I can’t fly down 500 people to make a set,” Johray said. “So, of course, I had to collaborate with artists there.”

The decision was driven by both creative freedom and logistical feasibility, allowing the team to design a large-scale environment without space or scheduling constraints.

Executing the project required intense coordination and round-the-clock work. Johray explained that the manpower was largely local, supported by a smaller Indian core team.

“We had Thai manpower of almost 300 to 400 people, and in total, we were nearly 500 people working day and night for about 20 days to create this six-acre set,” he said.

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The result was an immersive recreation of Lyari’s narrow lanes, layered structures, and gritty textures, capturing the chaotic energy required for the film’s high-stakes action and espionage sequences.

While Thailand hosted the primary Lyari portions, another large set was constructed in Mumbai to expand the film’s visual canvas. At Madh Island, the team built a four-acre set designed specifically for action-heavy scenes.

“That was a massive set,” Johray said. “It featured a lot of action, including several explosion sequences.” These sets allowed the filmmakers to stage large-scale sequences without compromising on safety or visual impact.

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Timing played a crucial role in the decision to move major outdoor shoots out of India. Filming began in July, right in the middle of Mumbai’s monsoon season.

“It was impossible to shoot the scenes in Mumbai with the scale and stars we had,” Johray explained. “We needed a huge six-acre space, and a studio wasn’t an option. Our dates were in July, which meant setting up in Mumbai during the monsoons was not feasible.”

Thailand ultimately provided the right combination of weather, space, and infrastructure.

Directed by Aditya Dhar, Dhurandhar explores the nexus between Pakistani politicians, gangsters, and terrorist networks. Set in Lyari, the film follows an Indian spy tasked with infiltrating criminal gangs and terror outfits.

Starring Ranveer Singh alongside Arjun Rampal, Akshaye Khanna, and Sanjay Dutt, the film has received a strong audience response. Running to housefull shows in its second week, Dhurandhar recorded an approximate Rs 29 crore nett collection on its second Monday in India, making it one of the biggest Hindi films of all time and the highest-grossing film of Ranveer Singh’s career.