Dhurandhar casting director on Ranveer Singh- Sara Arjun 20 year age gap - ‘When audience see the 2nd part, they’ll see how correct the casting is' - Exclusive

Sara Arjun with Ranveer Singh in a still from Dhurandhar

Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna starrer Dhurandhra directed by Aditya Dhar is the talk of the town. Ever since its release in theatres on December 5, the movie has smashed many records.

Everyone is praising the casting from Akshaye Khanna's Rehman Dakait to Rakesh Bedi as the conniving Jameel Jamali or even Gaurav Gera as Mohammad Aalam.

And there is one man behind this perfect casting coup of sorts - Mukesh Chhabra. Moneycontrol caught up exclusively with Mukesh Chhabra in a freewheeling chat recently and we also asked him about the most discussed and controversial pairing in Dhurandhar - 20 year old Sara Arjun opposite a much older Ranveer Singh.

But casting director Mukesh Chhabra insists the decision was rooted in narrative integrity, performance merit, and long-term vision rather than optics.

“Aditya is a very smart guy, a very intelligent filmmaker. So age gap ka sawal mujhe pata tha log poochne wale hai, but we wanted a young girl and they are looking absolutely fine according to the story. When people see the second part, they will realise how correctly we have thought of the casting," he told Moneycontrol in this video interview.

Mukesh Chhabra said the conversation is incomplete without understanding context and he is confident that the audiences will grasp fully as the story unfolds.

All praise for Sara Arjun - was blown away with her audition

Sara Arjun’s casting, Mukesh reveals, wasn’t a gamble. He says it was a conviction born in the audition room.

“She did a brilliant job. She is a great actor. When she came for the audition, we were fully blown away.”

And it was a very deeply personal choice for Mukesh considering is his long association with Sara, going back to her childhood.

“I have worked with her in her first ad, where she was four years old. I did her first McDonald’s ad. It’s such a long journey, I’ve seen how life brings you back to people.”

He also drew parallel with Sanjana Sanghi, whom he cast for a small role in Rockstar before later offering her the lead role in his directorial debut Dil Bechara opposite Sushant Singh Rajput.

“I remember people and their work. Sara Arjun is such a fantastic actor and such a beautiful girl. I want to protect her. And how well she did in the film. I’m so happy and so proud of her," he added.

Every single person I cast is important - Mukesh

Mukesh Chhabra said that Dhurandhar was never cast with a checklist mentalit and He that the film demanded emotional authenticity rather than safe, predictable choices.

Also Read: Dhurandhar Movie Review: Ranveer Singh shines in a relentless, gritty undercover saga that also tests your patience

“Every single person was a difficult role to cast in Dhurandhar… kuch bhi chhoda nahi hai," he told us.

Ranveer Singh, whom Mukesh has known for 17 years, was deliberately presented in a restrained, almost subdued avatar in the first part.

“If you look at the entire first part, he was so calm and so silent in the film… but he is so good.”

Mukesh said that the pairing is meant to evolve not be judged in isolation.

“Please wait for the second part. You will go mad,” he adds with a smile.

Watch the exclusive interview of Mukesh Chhabra

Casting took almost a year

Mukesh Chhabra confirmed to us that Dhurandhar was cast quietly and peacefully over nearly a year, across multiple cities, without rushing into any decisions.

"At times when you have deadline on your head then you have to finish casting in a hurry. In Dhurandhar I needed my proper time to cast not in hurry. In Dhurandhar I got almost one year to cast. So you can think carefully, you can spend 2-3 days. I had a team of 10 people, two associates, assistants, three interns and we were casting across India. Casting was going on in Kashmir, Delhi, Dehradun and Mumbai – the process was time taking. I realized one thing that jaldi jaldi mein karoge toh who achchi nahi banegi. Also bahut saare character hai jiske baare mein sochna hai, important to make sure that a character even if he is one scene, right or left hand you have to think about every single person. You can’t say ki baaki kuch bhi kar lenge. Aisa nahi hota, you have to sit on every person. 200 people will make your film," he said.

Sara Arjun and Ranveer

That philosophy extended to Sara Arjun’s role as well one that demanded emotional precision and growth across the narrative arc.

Mukesh Chhabra has spent nearly two decades challenging stereotypes from casting Pankaj Tripathi against type in Gangs of Wasseypur to reimagining performers audiences thought they had “figured out.”

“I like surprising people,” he says simply.

And when it comes to Dhurandhar, he’s content letting time and storytelling do the rest.

“When script itna achcha ho na, jab itne meaty roles ho, toh aapko maza aata hai kaam karne mein.”

As Dhurandhar continues its strong box-office run and gears up for its second instalment, Mukesh Chhabra says he is confident that the casting choices including Sara Arjun’s will be understood not as provocation, but as purposeful storytelling.