Naseem Mughal shares why he initially refused Ranveer Singh's assault scene in Dhurandhar ‘I was too nervous to do it’

naseem ranveer

• Naseem Mughal was nervous to film assault scene with Ranveer Singh in Dhurandhar
• Ranveer Singh helped Naseem feel comfortable during intense scenes
• Dhurandhar grossed over ₹1,000 crore worldwide in 21 days

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Dhurandhar actor Naseem Mughal, who plays the character Lulli in Ranveer Singh’s hit film, has revealed that he initially felt very uncomfortable filming a now-viral assault scene with Ranveer’s character, Hamza Ali Mazhari. After reading the intense sequence in the script, Naseem said he even refused to shoot it at first, not because of the content, but due to his nerves and admiration for Ranveer — he kept thinking, “He’s such a big star — how am I supposed to do this scene in front of him?”

In a conversation, Naseem told Filmgyan, "What can I even say about that scene... The moment in that scene is just crazy. When it first came to me, I felt like, I'm not going to do this. I actually refused."

He continued, "This won't be possible for me, because after reading the scene so many times, I got really nervous. The truth is, I'm a huge fan of Ranveer sir. His energy, especially since Padmaavat, has always been incredible. Somewhere in my subconscious, I kept thinking, he's such a big star-how am I supposed to do this scene in front of him?"

The scene itself — an early, brutal assault — has been widely discussed online and played a crucial role in setting the emotional tone of Dhurandhar. Naseem noted that during filming, they adjusted the take to balance intensity with realism: the first version came off as overly brutal, so the second take was slightly toned down.

Naseem also mentioned how Ranveer Singh made him feel at ease before filming the scene.

He added, "Before that scene, we had another one together-the dhaba scene, when we go to Alam's (Gaurav Gera) shop, where Babu (Asif Ali Haider Khan) is our boss. Before that scene itself, he made me feel so comfortable that I kept thinking, am I really working with Ranveer?"

He continued, "He never makes you feel that he's a big star. The energy he brings - he is very down-to-earth. The way he talks, he always hugs you first. That hug alone makes you feel comfortable."

Naseem expressed his gratitude to the crew for their hard work, saying, "I had been searching for a moment like this for a long time. For the last 13 years, I was waiting for this moment in my life, when it would finally come."

Also read: Dhurandhar has lost about 10 million dollars overseas due to Middle East ban, reveals distributor

On the box office front, Dhurandhar has been a major commercial success. Within its first 21 days, the film grossed over ₹1,000 crore worldwide, entering the prestigious ₹1,000 crore club — a milestone achieved by only a handful of Indian films. Domestically, it earned more than ₹650 crore in India in the same period, making it one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of the year.