Actor Akshaye Khanna has been enjoying a fresh wave of acclaim for his chilling turn as the ruthless Rehman Dakait in Dhurandhar. As a notorious Lyari ganglord, his menacing performance was singled out for praise by viewers ever since the first film hit theatres last December. But did you know that Akshaye was not the first choice for the role? Three actors had turned down the part and eventually casting director Mukesh Chhabra suggested the role to Akshaye, who agreed thereafter. (Also read: AI imagines Dhurandhar in Mollywood: Fahadh Faasil as Rahman Dakait, Nazriya Nazim as Yalina, Unni Mukundan as Hamza)
What the casting director said
During a new conversation with Bollywood Hungama, Mukesh said that there were 3 actors who had rejected the role of Rahman Dakait and he does not want to name them. He added, “Ek actor South se thhe, aur baki do Bollywood ke thhe. They gave me a very weird logic. They said, ‘Ye ensemble cast hain (This is an ensemble cast).’ ‘Ye toh Ranveer ki picture hain (This is Ranveer Singh’s picture).’ I said okay leave, and Aditya [Dhar] is a cool guy and he said it is fine. He was sure about his film. I did feel bad because we think of an actor after a lot of thought.”
Mukesh went on to add that he thought of Akshaye Khanna next. He replied immediately, listened to the narration, and said it was a fantastic script. Within a day, he said yes and that is how the casting of Rahman Dakait was locked. “They take a decision from their heart,” said Mukesh about Akshaye, praising him as one of those actors whose decisions for doing a film is not influenced by four other people around him all the time.
About Dhurandhar
Dhurandhar was set in Lyari, Karachi, an area known for its history of gang wars and violent turf battles. It revolved around covert intelligence operations in the background of geopolitical and terror events like the Kandahar plane hijack, the 2001 Parliament Attack and the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. It also stars Sara Arjun, Arjun Rampal, R Madhavan and Rakesh Bedi in pivotal roles.
The sequel was released in theatres on March 19. It delves into the origins of Ranveer Singh’s character, Hamza aka Jaskirat Singh Rangi, revealing the motivations behind his mission. It also takes the story forward, showing him taking control of the power dynamics in Lyari while working to dismantle a terror network in Pakistan that threatens India.
