Bollywood's Dawood Ibrahim, Stuck In A 40-Year-Old Image, Finally Ages In Dhurandhar 2

Bollywood's love affair with Dawood Ibrahim is as old as time. In the last two months of 2026, we have seen two contrasting portrayals of the underworld don who continues to generate buzz in India.

Dhurandhar 2, directed by Aditya Dhar, is the most recent Hindi film to bring Dawood Ibrahim back in pop culture, not that he ever went anywhere.

Social media can't stop talking about how the director showed Dawood Ibrahim his place through his epic portrayal in Dhurandhar 2, executed by a terrific Danish Iqbal in a performance which flirts between being factual and wishful thinking.

Here's how Bollywood saw Dawood Ibrahim over the years including Dhurandhar 2 where he perhaps comes of age:

Dhurandhar 2 (2026)

Long before Dhurandhar 2 released, some had an inkling, some read the 'leaked' information floating on social media that Dawood Ibrahim hee 'Bade Sahab' hain. And then we meet the man, the myth, the ghost. There is no stylish low-angle shot, attempting to lionise the character or add gravitas to it.

We are proven right that 'Bade Sahab' really is Dawood Ibrahim when we first see the underworld don in his has-been era: a massive frame holding that popular photo of the man sitting in his cushy office chair with his signature glasses perched on his nose. There's no cigarette too.

Cut to, the camera panning downwards for us to then find an old, frail, bedridden man in his 70s with no teeth and an almost bald head. This Dawood Ibrahim is reduced to a skeleton; he cannot get a sentence without coughing twice. When he gets agitated, his breath starts giving way. He is hooked to wires and his blood pressure levels keep fluctuating. "126/71," the monitor reads on a rare occasion, but Dawood Ibrahim never stops plotting against India.

Aditya Dhar's version of the dreaded gangster, by far, is the closest to real life, at least when it comes to his age. Born on December 26, 1955, Dawood Ibrahim is 70. There have been reports that he is not keeping well. There were rumours that he died due to Covid complications during the pandemic in 2020. Unverified reports also claimed that Dawood Ibrahim was poisoned to death in Karachi.

Dhurandhar 2 also harks back to the global terrorist's heyday, showing him in high spirits at a '90s party with Oye Oye cleverly playing in the background, just before he is poisoned by Jameel Jamali (Rakesh Bedi). Even in this sequence, the director points the viewer to how he brought 'Bade Sahab' from arsh to farsh, highlighting his upper hand over the gangster.

O'Romeo (2026)

Last month, Vishal Bhardwaj came to the theatres with O'Romeo, based on the life story of Hussain Ustara, a notorious Mumbai underworld figure played by Shahid Kapoor in the '90s set film.

In the film, Ustara goes up against a don called Jalaluddin 'Jalal' Shah, a blue-eyed, bulky Avinash Tiwary who doubles as a fierce matador in Spain. Though the character of Jalal ends up leaning more toward caricature than a formidable foe for Ustara, it is an open secret that he is a stand-in for Dawood Ibrahim.

In real life, Ustara challenged Dawood Ibrahim's dominance in '90s Mumbai, operating independently as his key rival. It is believed that Ustara was killed by Dawood Ibrahim's henchmen in 1998.

D-Day (2013)

In Nikkhil Advani's D-Day, Dawood Ibrahim is depicted in the same, cliched avatar - based on the handful of pictures of the gangster from his Mumbai glory days. He wears his hair with a side parting, he has a bushy moustache, he wears those blood-red signature shades, but is ageing and now on the heavier side. The character exudes sass and wit.

He, however, gets a new name Iqbal Seth AKA Goldman, a character memorably played by veteran actor Rishi Kapoor. Clearly modelled on Dawood Ibrahim, Goldman is shown as a fugitive underworld don living in Pakistan.

Years before Operation Dhurandhar, Indian intelligence agency R&AW had launched Operation Goldman in D-Day to catch hold of Goldman (read: Dawood Ibrahim) and drag him back to India. The mission was spearheaded by Major Rudra Pratap Singh, played by Arjun Rampal who in Dhurandhar 2 crosses over to the other side to essay ISI operative Major Iqbal.

In D-Day, Indian agents abduct Goldman and bring him to the India-Pakistan border in a car trunk. Once they reach the Indian side of the border, they make Goldman cross the border into India with Pakistani Rangers shooting bullets at them. After a long monologue of how much India has a problem of giving a "chance" to corrupt politicians, police or terrorists like him or Ajmal Kasab, Golman is killed by Arjun Rampal's Major Rudra at point-blank range.

An Action Hero (2022)

What also made Dawood Ibrahim a glamorous figure was his closeness with Bollywood. Many celebs used to attend the gangster's parties and would work in the films bankrolled by him. He and his D-Company were also infamous for extorting film producers.

In Anirudh Iyer's An Action Hero, superstar Maanav (Ayushmann Khurrana) is abducted by some goons who work for Masood Abraham Katkar, modelled on Dawood Ibrahim. The gangster, now based out of the UK, looks nothing like his old self. He has a buzz cut, a beard without a moustache and there are no shades.

Maanav stops breathing when Katkar introduces himself as "the guy who was killed off in D-Day by you guys".

He says, "All that the media has shown you in 30 years. I've cut off my moustache! Doctors have told me to stop smoking. And if I wear a Ray-Ban at night, I'll look f***ing stupid! My voice may not sound the same but it still carries the same weight."

Then, Katkar takes a photograph with Maanav and posts it on social media; the photo goes viral. The actor is then forced to dance to Aap Jaisa Koi at Katkar's family function where he also meets Malaika Arora.

Company (2002)

Ram Gopal Varma's Company saw Ajay Devgn play N Mallik, a character heavily modelled on Dawood Ibrahim. The story of the film is loosely based on the rift between Dawood Ibrahim and his protege Chhota Rajan.

Ajay Devgn's brooding, silent persona added to the mythic persona of Dawood Ibrahim, even though his N Mallik was no spitting image of the real-life don. N Mallik, however, smokes like a chimney pretty much like how Dawood Ibrahim is believed to.

Black Friday (2004)

In Black Friday, Director Anurag Kashyap paints Dawood Ibrahim, played by Vijay Maurya, as a calm and calculating figure who orchestrates the 1993 Bombay serial blasts. His Dawood Ibrahim cuts a menacing but understated figure.

Vijay Maurya plays with his voice to capture the suave persona and the projected aura of the character who kept both his associates and rivals in check. The actor was also praised for his nailing Dawood Ibrahim's mannerisms, making it one of the most memorable portrayals of the underworld don.

D (2005)

Much like Vijay Maurya in Black Friday, Randeep Hooda in D also plays his Dawood Ibrahim as a cool-headed and restrained gangster. Dawood Ibrahim here becomes Deshu; D the film's title is a nod to the Mumbai-born don.

Here, Deshu starts out as a mechanic in Dubai who returns to Mumbai after his mother's death. He is then drawn into the Mumbai underworld after witnessing a murder and facing harassment from both the police and local gangsters. He slowly rises through the ranks and becomes the feared D.

Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai (2010)

This Milan Luthria-directed movie had Emraan Hashmi play Shahid Khan, a smuggler and gangster modelled on Dawood Ibrahim's early years in 1970s Mumbai. This Shahid Khan looks a lot like Dawood Ibrahim, especially the hair, moustache, and shades. Emraan Hashmi plays this character as a young and ambitious gangster who becomes increasingly ruthless during the course of the film.

The director returns for a follow-up with 2013's Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai Dobara, where Akshay Kumar now plays Shoaib Khan. The character has become a different person: this Shoaib Khan is more assured of his authority, more evolved, and is a cold taskmaster who wants what he wants, no matter the cost.

Dhurandhar 2 is not the first film to immortalise Dawood Ibrahim on screen, albeit in a different manner, and it certainly won't be the last.

Also Read | How Dhurandhar 2 Actor Danish Iqbal Became 'Bade Sahab': '9 Hours In Makeup, No Food'