While Ranveer Singh headlined Dhurandhar, it was Akshaye Khanna who truly stole the spotlight with his powerful portrayal of Rehman dakait. Despite the film boasting an impressive ensemble cast that included Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, and Rakesh Bedi, Akshaye Khanna’s performance emerged as one of the most talked-about aspects of the film. Recently, casting director Mukesh Chhabra opened up about the challenges faced during the casting process and revealed how difficult it was to convince Akshaye Khanna to take on the role.
Dhurandhar
Mukesh Chhabra On Insisting Akshaye For Role
In an interview with one of the media houses, Mukesh Chhabra shared that casting for Dhurandhar took nearly one year. He revealed that Ranveer Singh was already signed when he joined the project. “Ranveer Singh was already associated with the project when I came on board. Once you have a big star, it becomes impossible to bring in more stars. This is the way the Mumbai film industry works,” Mukesh explained.
Mukesha Chhabra
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Despite these challenges, the casting director emphasized that every role, big or small was chosen with extreme care. “Whether it was Danish Pandor, Rakesh Bedi, Akshaye Khanna, or R. Madhavan, even the smallest casting details were meticulously considered,” he added. Mukesh Chhabra admitted that he had several unconventional casting ideas for Dhurandhar, so much so that director Aditya Dhar initially thought he was being unrealistic.
Akshaye Khanna
One such idea was approaching Akshaye Khanna, an actor known for being highly selective with his roles. “Everyone was excited when Akshaye Khanna’s name came up, but there was also doubt about whether he would even agree,” Mukesh recalled. Sharing details of their first interaction, Mukesh said the conversation didn’t start on a positive note. “To be honest, I hadn’t seen Chhava at that time. I called him, and he scolded me. He said, ‘Have you gone mad?’ I requested him to at least listen to me once.”
Akshaye Khanna
After persistent efforts, Akshaye Khanna finally agreed to meet Mukesh Chhabra and Aditya Dhar. Recalling the meeting, Mukesh said, “I asked him to come to the office. He said, ‘I don’t even live here. Tell me where you want me to come.’ When he finally said yes, I was thrilled.” Akshaye reportedly sat through a four-hour narration, listening quietly. “He kept smoking a cigarette and heard the entire story. When we finished, he said, ‘Well done, friend. It will be a lot of fun,’” Mukesh shared.