Actor Danish Iqbal has revealed that viral pictures and rumours linking Salman Khan and Emraan Hashmi to his role in Dhurandhar: The Revenge left him anxious and fearing he had been replaced in the film by director Aditya Dhar.
‘I thought Aditya replaced me,’ says Danish Iqbal
Following the release of Dhurandhar in December 2025, speculation about the mysterious character Bade Sahab intensified, with several names circulating on social media. As edited images and fan theories featuring Salman and Emraan gained traction, Danish admitted the buzz unsettled him. “When so many names surfaced about playing Dawood, I thought of calling Aditya Dhar to check if he had replaced me,” Danish told Zoom.
With the release of Dhurandhar: The Revenge, it was finally confirmed that Danish plays Bade Sahab, who is revealed to be Dawood Ibrahim in the sequel. His portrayal of the ageing, bedridden don has drawn attention for its intensity and transformation.
Danish also shared that he was initially unaware of the full scope of his character. “I didn’t know Dawood was Bade Sahab. There was no chat about Bade Sahab at that time. I was just told that I’ll play Dawood. He’s bedridden, and all his scenes will take place in that setting. But I did not have the clarity about Bade Sahab. When his name surfaced in the script as someone Ranveer’s character was looking for, even we started wondering who Bade Sahab was. There was a discussion about whether he was Pervez Musharraf or Osama bin Laden. That’s when I wondered if Dawood was Bade Sahab,” he added.
Danish details extensive prosthetic transformation to play Bade Sahab
The role required Danish to undergo an extensive prosthetic transformation to portray an older version of the character. Reflecting on the demanding process, he said that it took 7–8 hours to apply the prosthetics and another 2–3 hours to remove them. He added that after spending nearly 12 hours in makeup, shooting with intense focus and concentration, it would take him about an hour to come out of the character, noting that it was not like other roles that one can easily switch on and off.
Dhurandhar 2 box office success
At the box office, Dhurandhar: The Revenge has delivered a record-breaking run, crossing the ₹500 crore mark worldwide within just three days of release. The film has earned approximately ₹339 crore net in India so far, with Sunday collections still underway and expected to push the numbers even higher. Trade reports indicate that the film is continuing its strong momentum over the weekend, positioning it among the fastest Hindi films to reach the ₹500 crore global milestone.
