Dhurandhar's Ajmal Kasab on playing a real-life terrorist on-screen: ‘I closely studied Kasab’s videos online to observe his walk, body language’

Dhurandhar's Ajmal Kasab on playing a real-life terrorist on-screen: ‘I closely studied Kasab’s videos online to observe his walk, body language’

Dhurandhar has been earning praise for its precise and fearless casting. Director Aditya Dhar, along with casting director Mukesh Chhabra, has been widely appreciated for choosing actors who feel unsettlingly real, even in brief appearances.

One such performance comes from actor Dalvinder Saini, who plays terrorist Ajmal Kasab, a role that leaves a deep impact despite limited screen time.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Dalvinder saini (@dalvinder_saini_dv)

In an interview with Zoom, Dalvinder opened up about how he landed the role, the emotional toll of portraying a real-life terrorist, and his unforgettable experience of sharing screen space with Ranveer Singh.

Dalvinder revealed that his journey began with what seemed like a routine audition call. “I got a call from MCCC for an audition for a character. They gave me a scene, I prepared for it, and the audition went well,” he said. A few days later, however, he received unexpected news that completely changed the course of his preparation.

“I was happily shocked when I got to know that I’ll be playing Kasab because I auditioned for some other character, which did not have a name,” Dalvinder recalled. “I was very happy and I was nervous, not because of how dark the character was but because it wasn’t any fictional character.”

Also Read: How Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar team recreated Pakistan’s Lyari town in Bangkok in just 20 days with 500 workers

The gravity of portraying Ajmal Kasab, one of the terrorists involved in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, weighed heavily on him from the very beginning. Dalvinder described the preparation process as emotionally exhausting and deeply unsettling, forcing him to confront uncomfortable truths about violence and radicalisation.

“It was heart-wrenching to get to know Kasab’s story,” he said. “To prepare mentally and physically for Kasab, I learned and read a lot. I educated myself about every small detail connected to him, his background, illegal activities, terrorism, how such systems work, what happened during the 26/11 event, and the aftermath.”

A significant part of his research focused on understanding the machinery behind terrorism. “I watched numerous videos and read many articles to understand how terrorist groups manipulate young children and turn them into human weapons,” Dalvinder shared, adding that this insight changed how he viewed the character.

Rather than portraying Kasab as a one-note villain, Dalvinder tried to understand the psychology that drives such individuals.

“I tried to understand how they think, how they perceive the world, and how they become emotionally explosive,” he explained. “The process was extremely tough but deeply research-driven.”

Physically, Dalvinder worked meticulously to mirror Kasab’s movements and presence. “I closely studied Kasab’s videos online to observe his walk, body language, and overall physicality, and worked on absorbing those traits,” he said.

Sharing screen space with Ranveer Singh was another intense experience for the actor. Dalvinder noted that Ranveer’s focus and intensity elevated every scene, making the emotional weight of the film even heavier.