Soon after the release of Aditya Dhar’s film Dhurandhar, Bollywood actor Akshaye Khanna became an overnight sensation across the internet with his performance as Rehman Dakait. Fans couldn’t get enough of his unmatchable aura, and some even claimed that Akshaye overshadowed Ranveer Singh, who was phenomenal as Hamza. Recent rumours suggested that before Akshaye, the role of Rehman Dakait was first offered to Nagarjuna. But the South superstar reportedly rejected the film. Well, in a new interview, Nagarjuna has now revealed if he was ever approached to be Dakait. The actor has also reviewed Dhurandhar.
In a recent chat with Bollywood Hungama, Nagarjuna clarified that he was never offered the role of Akshaye Khanna’s Rehman Dakait in Dhurandhar. Nagarjuna was quoted saying, “Absolutely not. I was not offered the role, though I wish I was… Dhurandhar is a superb film… Really incredible direction by Aditya Dhar. I loved his earlier film Uri also! Superb acting by everybody in the film, and Akshaye Khanna was terrific… Looking forward to the sequel! Wishing them another blockbuster.” Nagarjuna, who is currently shooting for his 100th film, went on to state, “We are not rushing anything. There is no hurry to complete the film. We want it to be very special. After Dhurandhar, it is clear that the audiences demand international standards of storytelling.”
Nagarjuna’s last Bollywood film was Brahmāstra: Part One – Shiva (2022), where the actor joined Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt as artist and archaeologist Anish Shetty, who wielded the Nandi Āstra. His next film is scheduled to arrive in theatres on January 15, on the occasion of Sankranthi. Akshaye Khanna, on the other hand, is said to return as Rehman Dakait in Dhurandhar’s sequel, titled Dhurandhar: The Revenge. The film is slated to release on March 19. Post Dhurandhar 2, Akshaye has Mahakali and Ikka in his line up.
