Dhurandhar: The Revenge has been going strong at the box office, with no signs of slowing down. Ever since it released on March 19, fans have been going gaga over the Ranveer Singh spy thriller. The first installment too was equally successful and it followed appreciation for Rehman Dakait aka Akshay Khanna. But did you know he was not the first choice of the makers?
In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, casting director Mukesh Chhabra spoke about in lengths about the challenges of engaging such an ensemble cast. He said, “I was narrated the story for four hours. After that, I was in shock. I didn’t even move or take a break. We didn’t even realise when the time passed away. I got scared initially, even after casting for so many films in the past. I had to find so many characters, newer faces, it was a big film.”
Chhabra added that after reading the script, he realised that it would need extensive groundwork as there were multiple characters who were to be understood in details. “If I combine both the parts, I had to do the casting of around 400 people. I made a team of six people and started the search. Aditya gave me full freedom and asked me to think as big as I can. He wanted to surprise people. He already believed that this film will break all the records and all the roles will get a lot of love,” he added.
Speaking of antagonist Rehman Dakait’s role, the casting director mentioned that two to three actors denied taking up the offer. Eventually, Akshay Khanna was roped in for the character and the rest is history. Chabbra shared, “I can’t take any names, but 2-3 actors had said no to his role. I am sure they regret that decision today. An actor from South and two from Bollywood gave very weird logic. They said that this is an ensemble cast and its actually Ranveer’s film, but Aditya moves on from negative thoughts quickly.”
However, the casting director said that Ranveer Singh was always the only choice for the lead role. Regarding Yalina Jamali, he mentioned that it involved quite a search and they finalised on Sara Arjun as they wanted a fresh face.
The story follows an Indian intelligence undercover agent Hamza played by Ranveer Singh. He navigates Karachi’s crime networks, political landscape and seeks justice linked to the 26/11 attacks. Apart from Ranveer, Sara Arjun and Akshay Khanna, the franchise features prominent actors such as Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Rakesh Bedi and Danish Pandor.
The prequel minted around Rs 1300 crore worldwide and is still running in theatres even three months after its December release. Dhurandhar 2 has stormed the box office, crossing Rs 1500-crore mark worldwide.
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