While Ranveer Singh may be the face of Dhurandhar, the actor everyone is talking about right now is Akshaye Khanna. Even with a powerhouse cast that includes Sanjay Dutt and Arjun Rampal, many feel it’s Khanna’s turn as Rehman Dakait that truly steals the show.
Ironically, getting him on board was almost as dramatic as the role itself.
Casting director Mukesh Chhabra recently revealed just how long and difficult the process was, calling it a year-long effort — and describing convincing the famously selective Akshaye Khanna as nearly “impossible.”
When Chhabra joined the project, Ranveer Singh was already locked in. In Bollywood, that’s often seen as enough star power, but Chhabra wasn’t interested in playing it safe. He approached every role with the same intensity, whether it was R. Madhavan’s part or Rakesh Bedi’s.
Director Aditya Dhar initially thought Chhabra’s vision was a bit too ambitious. So when Akshaye Khanna’s name came up, the room wasn’t exactly confident. “I said Akshaye paaji will do it, and then we all jumped on it,” Chhabra recalled.
What followed was anything but smooth.
Known for guarding his privacy and choosing projects carefully, Khanna didn’t exactly welcome the call. “I honestly hadn’t even watched Chhaava then,” Chhabra admitted. “When I called him, he first scolded me. He said, ‘Paagal ho gaya hai kya?’”
Still, Chhabra pushed on, asking him to at least hear the story. Khanna finally agreed — but only after pointing out how far he lived from the usual industry circuit. “He said, ‘Main toh yahan rehta hi nahi hoon. Batao kahan aana hai?’”
That meeting turned into a four-hour marathon.
Khanna sat quietly, chain-smoking, listening to the entire script without interruption. When it was finally over, his reaction surprised everyone. “He said, ‘F**k, it’s very good. Well done, yaar. Bada maza aayega,’” Chhabra recalled.
Even then, the team waited nervously for two more days. The final answer came in the simplest way possible — a phone call. “He said, ‘Let’s do it, bro.’”
With Dhurandhar now behind him, Akshaye Khanna isn’t slowing down. He’s currently filming his Telugu debut, Mahakali, directed by Puja Kolluru. The film is part of the growing Prashanth Varma Cinematic Universe, which includes hits like HanuMan. Early glimpses of Khanna as Shukracharya hint at yet another bold reinvention.