I have a bone to pick with people saying Rehman was too stupid to have gotten manipulated that easily.
First of all, it wasn't easy, dont discredit Hamza. Secondly, I think many of the viewers lost some of the more subtle subtext and nuance in the cinematography and the performances.
I believe that as a third-person observer, already aware of everyone's motivations from the beginning, it is easy to see the signs of deception being laid out, than being in the same situation as a second person even. For example, like Uzair. He seemed quite fond of Hamza, protecting him from his brother and all. I think it was further cemented when Hamza saved Rehman from SP Aslam, and I'll circle back to this later.
Let us understand the progression of the events, which I think was brilliantly laid out by Aditya Dhar to facilitate Hamza's subtle machinations to infiltrate and finally overtake the Dakait gang.
The first manipulation - saving Faizal, refusing the reward money, point to note - Hamza hadn't directly asked to get inside the gang, only expressed his admiration for Rehman, pointed out his own expertise with guns, turned Rehman's gratitude to his own very nicely and cemented himself as a strong Balochi empathizer and nationalist (that mention of his matyred brother- chef's kiss). As an undercover agent, im pretty sure they established a watertight background in case someone wanting to check Hamza's claims. I believe that was implied.
The second manipulation - the murder of Babu Dakait and wiping out his entire gang. Point to note, Rehman was asking all his gang members what they should've done if they were in his place. He made everyone say what they thought. Why would Rehman Dakait ask his gang members anything to influence his decision - he is their boss after all. He could've just stopped with Uzair. But he didn't. I think the way he only stopped with Hamza was because the latter was the only one who backed a decision he perhaps had already made. And Hamza didn't offer his opinion first. Rehman specifically approached him. The new guy. Why? Maybe because he knew Hamza would back him, and he took the chance to fan the flames that had already started.
Another thing that I think people conviniently forget is that the most important factor that played into both manipulations and their success is that Rehman had lost a child when Hamza entered the gang. His firstborn. He was at a very vulnerable stage at the moment. It is much easier to manipulate people when they already can't think straight due to grief or anger or maybe both.
This is where Dhar's brilliance shines through. One couldn't have manipulated Rehman Dakait into anything if he had been in his natural state - remember Hamza needed one year to even try and reach the gang's proximity.
Then Hamza doesn't actually manipulate anyone for a long time. He has already entered the gang. Earned their trust and respect. He is only gathering intelligence by that time. And romancing Yalina, if anything - which again could be another manipulation, im eager to unearth that one in the sequel.
A mention of the deal with the ISI. I am not justifying anything Rehman Dakait ever did. The man is a monster. And he did betray his community by striking a deal with their mortal enemy, but... but remember he asked them where the guns would be used before agreeing to it. He only agreed when Iqbal told him the guns would be used in India. And he paid for the arms through that gift exchange. Maybe Rehman rationalized it to himself this way - whatever the reason, even here, Hamza used it to his benefit.
He accused Rehman. Imagine doing that. A lowly gang member accusing their leader. He only proved that he was not a blind yes man and was quite emotional when it came to his community. A mole would want to stay in the shadows, not bring more focus to himself, and will definitely not antagonize his scary, murderous boss. It was such a good move by Hamza. You could practically see the gears of his mind turning.
Then comes another brilliant complex scene. I really think I've overthought it. Hamza saves Rehman from SP Aslam. It was a fantastic move, and one I believe hammered the final nail on Rehman's coffin. Was this another manipulation on Hamza's part to further gain Rehman's trust, which, if you see from his point of view, was executed flawlessly. He tortured the servant in front of the rest of the guys. He had seen him behave strangely before leaving, but he didn't do anything then. He waited.
What I didn't quite get was why he saved Rehman after all? Why not just stop at getting the name of Arshad Pappu and let Rehman die. He was already a hero for extracting the information no one knew how to. He could've instigated a gang war against Arshad Pappu right after Rehman's encounter and take over his territories as well. Mission accomplished. Why go through with the rest and make an enemy out of Aslam? Did he lose his footing on reality for a moment? Forgot where his true loyalities lay?
It made watching the next scene so much more painful. Hamza saved Rehman , one of the men, directly responsible for the 26/11 attacks. Remember him seeing the blood on his own hands. The final straw that broke the camel's back. The way he was suddenly even looking at the rest of them changed so drastically. Before that scene, he looked at Rehman cautiously, pretending to be deferential. After that, he had clear murder in his eyes. Revulsion. It was phenomenal acting.
Also, Rehman seemed so much more relaxed in Hamza's presence after the rescue. He let him even pick the date. Before that, Hamza didn't seem to be too involved in the upper crust decision making, except that one time when he suggested they wipe out Babu's gang. This was implied as the first time at least.
Then Rehman and his men were taking a nap in the car Hamza was driving. For the first time on the screen, at least, Uzair wasn't with Rehman when he was with Hamza. He was comfortable with Hamza by then.
The first time Rehman sensed something amiss was when Hamza said Uzair and the rest were not there. You can practically see his mind connecting the dots. It didn't take much for Rehman to realise he was fucked af. He was visibly tipsy at the party, still remembered clearly enough that Hamza suggested the date. This was the first and the only inconsistency that Rehman had seen Hamza display since they were on screen together.
And he struck. Not that it helped him much. Gave us quite a climax to remember. That title track being played and the man flying out the windshield. Jesus fucking brilliant— sorry got sidetracked.
So, I dont think Rehman was played too easily. Hamza was just too damned good. And the events preceding his entry into the Baloch gang too damned bad for Rehman as a whole.
The time span of Hamza's penetration in the gang and the series of catastrophic events facilitating his schemes mostly centering on Naeem's death helped him out greatly too.
I think it was a perfect balance needed to show how Hamza fooled them all in the end. The movie wouldn't have been half as realistic or half as fun if the nemesis were actually an idiot. There is a lot of nuance to manipulation. It looks easy to an outside observer who knows what is happening, but to consistently catch it against a well matched player when you have already lost the first move is considerably more difficult.
I keep thinking whether Rehman realised why Hamza betrayed him? Did he betray him at the end? Was he always going to do so? What were his motivations? Money, power, or something else? Did he really understand why he died? That it was much bigger than all of those combined? That it was pure revenge?
Food for thought and further fanfics - lol.
