In conversation with the architects and co-founders of 23DC, a firm that designed the villa featured in Dhurandhar: The Revenge

In December 2021, 17-year-old Jalandhar-based architecture firm 23DC landed the opportunity to design one of Punjab’s most-talked-about villas — its popularity fuelled by the Ranveer Singh-starrer Dhurandhar: The Revenge. While the mansion, Ananda, has captured public imagination through the film’s hype, engaging with it architecturally reveals a compelling creative story. Founders Shiv Dada and Mohit Chawla explain the design grammar, functional elements, and aesthetics that define Ananda, and how its spaces bridge the distance between Amritsar and the on-screen Lyari.

The residence looks almost like a fort
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Shiv explains: “Any story, especially in cinema, is influenced by the spaces it’s set in. Ananda, shown as (Ranveer Singh’s character) Hamza’s house in the film, is a visual embodiment of his success — a small gangster from Lyari becoming the shehenshah of Karachi.” Mohit adds the residence looks almost like a fort, with a huge gate concealing any view of what lies inside; it reflects the security and privacy that the character would want. “The look of this house doesn’t match the typical aesthetic of Lyari, which was intentional, as it shows how Hamza has risen above the dusty roads of Lyari into the league of high-profile elites,” he shares.

Ananda’s built-up area spans 20,000 square feet 
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Spread across nearly one acre, Ananda’s built-up area spans 20,000 square feet and belongs to the owner of Crown Basmati Rice, an Indian rice brand produced by Amritsar-based DRRK Foods, says Shiv.

Ananda deviates from the traditional, vernacular vocabulary of Punjab’s architecture
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In many ways, Ananda deviates from the traditional, vernacular vocabulary of Punjab’s architecture. It neither features the Nanakshahi brick walls, nor the jharokhas (overhanging windows) or jaalis (lattice screens). The courtyard, however, remains, but that too comes with a modern twist. So far as Karachi’s oldest area Lyari is concerned, the house escapes the working-class neighbourhood’s purely functional, minimally ornamented, and concrete-heavy residential buildings.

The villa fits the design vocabulary of modern, tropical and minimalistic Indian architecture
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It finds a place of its own, with the choice of black basalt and wood. Shiv says that the intent was to create a private resort-like space that was modern, in accordance with international design register, but carried the quintessential Indian design essence. It fits the design vocabulary of modern, tropical and minimalistic Indian architecture, he says. The firm took a little over two years to design it. Shiv shares, “The front façade is decorated through Indian black basalt and wooden louvers, which extend to the interiors. In between the wooden louvers, we instilled brass elements to reflect the traditional Indian design aesthetics.”

 The house intents to create a private resort-like space
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Mohit steers the attention towards the screen on the first floor of the façade. He adds: “Made of wood, it adds to the design but also acts as an architectural element filtering the harsh south-western sunlight. The villa was designed keeping in mind the harsh climate of Punjab. The central courtyard, open to sky, semi-covered pool area sitting — keep the house naturally cool and ventilated.”

The central courtyard, open to sky, semi-covered pool area sitting 
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Mohit says that the house was spotted by the film’s team on social media. “Amritsar was also an advantage for the director as the city’s aesthetic loosely gives off the vibe of what modern Pakistan could look like. Hence, their team reached out to us with an idea of shooting the movie there,” he confirms, adding that the shoot took about eight-to-10 days.

The front façade of the house is decorated through Indian black basalt and wooden louvers, which extend to the interiors
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Special arrangement

Though this is the first property by 23DC to have made it to the big screen, the architecture firm has been associated with several projects across India and abroad. One of their biggest takeaways, as Shiv puts it, is: “People all over Punjab and India are now prioritising Tier-2 cities for their peaceful environment, healthy lifestyle and for staying closer to their roots”. And by doing so, they are rewriting Bollywood’s perception of Punjab’s landscape that goes beyond the pastoral charm of wheat and mustard fields and rural havelis.

Published – April 01, 2026 12:15 pm IST