In a recent interview, 'Dhurandhar' casting director, Mukesh Chhabra revealed that Akshaye Khanna initially rejected his role. Here's what he said.
Dhurandhar, the spy-action thriller, became a blockbuster hit. The film won hearts with its gripping storyline and strong performances. The film features an ensemble cast, including Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun and more. Among the many, it was Akshaye Khanna’s performance that stole the spotlight. For the unversed, Akshaye played the role of 'Rehman Dakait'. Now that Akshaye is rising high in success, the casting director, Mukesh Chhabra, revealed a backstory behind bringing Akshaye on board.
In a recent interview with India Today, Dhurandhar’s casting director, Mukesh Chhabra, shared how the casting of the film was finalised. Mukesh revealed that initially director, Aditya Dhar, thought he had gone mad as he wanted to have a star cast for the film, Dhurandhar. Mukesh explained how the Bollywood industry works and how it becomes impossible to cast another star, when one big star is already on board. He was quoted as saying:
"Ranveer Singh was already onboard when I came in. Once you have one big star, it becomes impossible to get more stars. That's just how the Mumbai film industry works. It didn't matter whether it was Danish Pandor, Rakesh Bedi, Akshaye Khanna or R Madhavan. Even the smallest casting idea was done meticulously. Aditya told me I was going crazy."
Akshaye Khanna is rising high in success for his portrayal of 'Rehman Dakait' in the film, Dhurandhar. In fact, his dance moves on the peppy track, Fa9la has left the audience in a frenzy. However, in the same interview, the casting director revealed that when he called Akshaye Khanna for the role, he was reluctant to do the role. But he convinced him to at least listen to the script before backing off. Mukesh was quoted as saying:
"I said, Akshaye paaji will do it. And then we all jumped on it. I honestly hadn't watched Chhaava then. But I called him. Unhone pehle mujhe daanta. He said, 'Paagal ho gaya hai kya?' I asked him to at least hear me out once."
Further in the interview, Mukesh Chhabra explained how he convinced Akshaye Khanna to do Dhurandhar. Mukesh shared that he asked Akshaye to come to Aditya’s office, and after the Dhurandhar star came, he sat for four hours. He listened to the script with full attention and liked it after the narration was complete. However, Akshaye took a few days to confirm that he is in. Mukesh was quoted as saying:
"I asked him to come to the office. He said, 'Main toh yahan rehta hi nahi hoon. Bol kahan aana hai. He came and sat for four hours. He quietly listened. He kept smoking. When we finished, he said, 'F**k, it's very good'. Then he said, 'Well done, yaar. Bada maza aayega.' He called me and said, 'Let's do it, bro.'"
Akshaye Khanna is the son of legendary actor, Vinod Khanna. He made his acting debut with the film, Himalay Putra. It was J.P. Dutta’s war drama, Border, that brought critical and commercial success to Akshaye. He regained success with the films, Taal and Dil Chahta Hai. Later, he received widespread acclaim with the historical film, Chhava. He portrayed the role of Aurangzeb in the film. He also played a key role in the hit film, Drishyam 2 and shared screen space with Ajay Devgn and Tabu. However, his role in Dhurandhar made him a star.
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