‘Actors said no, then called later’: Mukesh Chhabra on casting Akshaye Khanna for Dhurandhar; spent 2 years, auditioned 300 for film

In a conversation with Hollywood Reporter India, Mukesh said, “I wanted to cast every single person whoever is on screen, whether for a scene or dialogue. That was my request to Aditya. My eight assistants and I spent 2 years auditioning and casting over 300 people for the film.”

Mukesh Chhabra on casting Akshaye Khanna as Rehman Dakait

One of the toughest roles to cast was that of Rehman Dakait, the formidable leader of the Baloch gang. “We were discussing so many actor’s names for the film, but the actors kept saying no, because they didn’t want to be part of an ensemble film,” Chhabra recalled.

“Akshaye Khanna’s name came towards the end. Akshaye has this capacity—give him anything and he will surprise you. When I first called him, he said, “Are you mad?” But I told him to just come at least and hear the story. He came and after the narration, looked at me and said, “Fantastic!” in that typical way of his. Within the day he called and confirmed he’s doing the film. It was that quick,” Chhabra shared.

“Sometimes you don’t have to create a look for an actor,” he noted.

He also shared that after the film’s release, several actors who had turned down the role reached out to him, with regret.

On casting R Madhavan

Having known R. Madhavan since the Rang De Basanti days, Chhabra reached out  to him with confidence.

“I had known him since the Rang De Basanti days. I told him, trust me, I am doing this film, and we need only 10-12 days from him. He was shooting for De De Pyaar De 2 (2025) at Mehboob Studios. Aditya [Dhar] went to the studio to meet him, and he called me within an hour, and said he is fantastic—a great actor. Madhavan, too, immediately said yes. He brought an authority to his performance. There is no action. He speaks calmly, and never loses his control.”

On Sara Arjun’s casting

Sara Arjun was selected from among many actors who auditioned for the role.

“When I saw her audition, I went mad. The scene in Dhurandhar: The Revenge, when she confronts Ranveer Singh about being an Indian agent was her audition scene,” Chhabra said.

On casting characters like Nawaz Shariq and Atif Ahmed

Chhabra has also been widely praised for casting characters inspired by former Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and Atiq Ahmed.

In a conversation with Hindustan Times, he said, “In some roles, I went for physical appearance. But for others, I needed a great performer, and then we could make them look like the character. For instance, with Atif Ahmed, I wanted him to look like Atiq Ahmed. Of course, he also needed to act. So, it had to be a mix and match of both. Then, I knew (Danish Pandor, who plays) Uzair Baloch is a great actor, and you can create his look accordingly. There, we needed a good actor first.”

He also credited hair and makeup artist Preetisheel Singh for elevating the transformations on screen. “Preetisheel also did a great job with the hair and makeup and how she transformed those actors into the characters,” he said.

Dhurandhar 2 box office

According to Sacnilk, the Ranveer Singh-starrer has crossed the Rs 900 crore mark worldwide within just six days of its release and is now on course to surpass its predecessor’s lifetime total of Rs 1,300 crore.

Dhurandhar 2 has reportedly collected Rs 919 crore globally so far, including Rs 575.67 crore from the domestic market.