Dhurandhar: When Akshaye Khanna said ‘Paagal ho gaya hai kya’ to Mukesh Chhabra after getting offer of Rehman Dacait's role

Dhurandhar: When Akshaye Khanna said ‘Paagal ho gaya hai kya’ to Mukesh Chhabra after getting offer of Rehman Dacait's role

• Akshaye Khanna's casting in Dhurandhar surprised the director
• Ranveer Singh was already locked in before Akshaye joined
• Dhurandhar: The Revenge releases in theatres on March 19

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As Dhurandhar: The Revenge gears up for its release on March 19, an interesting throwback from the film’s casting phase has resurfaced—and it perfectly captures how unpredictable great casting stories can be.

Today, while Dhurandhar is fronted by Ranveer Singh, it is Akshaye Khanna who has emerged as one of the film’s biggest highlights. His controlled, menacing portrayal of Rehman Dakait has left audiences and critics talking, even in a film packed with seasoned names like Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, and Rakesh Bedi.

In a recent interaction, casting director Mukesh Chhabra opened up about the intense and lengthy casting process that went behind Dhurandhar. He revealed that when he joined the project, Ranveer Singh was already locked in, which made adding more big names extremely difficult.

“Once you have one big star, it becomes impossible to get more stars. That’s just how the Mumbai film industry works,” Mukesh shared. Despite this limitation, he insisted on approaching every role with precision, whether it was a smaller character or a major one.

That’s when he floated an idea that even surprised the director.

“I said, Akshaye paaji will do it,” Mukesh recalled, adding that even director Aditya Dhar initially thought he had gone mad for suggesting it. After all, Akshaye Khanna is known for being highly selective and unpredictable when it comes to choosing roles.

Also Read: Dhurandhar: Before Sara Arjun, 1300 actresses auditioned for Yalina's role opposite Ranveer Singh, revealed Aditya Dhar

Mukesh revealed that when he reached out to the actor, the response was far from encouraging. “Unhone pehle mujhe daanta. He said, ‘Paagal ho gaya hai kya?’” Mukesh said. Still, he requested Akshaye to at least hear the script once.

What followed was a turning point.

Akshaye eventually agreed to meet Mukesh and Aditya Dhar. The meeting lasted nearly four hours, with the actor quietly listening, absorbing every detail. There were no big reactions, no immediate commitments.

Then came the moment.

After the narration, Akshaye simply said, “F**k, it’s very good. Well done, yaar. Bada maza aayega.”

Even then, the makers weren’t completely sure. It took a few more days before the final confirmation came—this time from Akshaye himself.

“He called me and said, ‘Let’s do it, bro,’” Mukesh revealed.

Looking back now, that one persistent call changed everything. As Dhurandhar: The Revenge prepares to hit theatres on March 19, this casting story only adds to the film’s growing buzz—and proves that sometimes, the best performances come from the most unexpected yes.