Exclusive - Mukesh Chhabra on casting Akshaye Khanna as Rehman Dacait in Dhurandhar: ‘Poore Hindustan ke actors ek taraf aur...'

Akshyaye Khanna in Dhurandhar

Director Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar starring Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna in the leads, has been smashing records at the box office since its release on December 5.

Fans have loved the performance of actor Akshaye Khanna, who plays the deadly Rehman Dacait in the movie. His menacing role of Rehman has found him a new fan following and people can't stop talking about the actor, who has many films to his credit.

In an exclusive conversation with Dhurandhar's casting director Mukesh Chhabra, we asked him about how he got Akshaye on board to play Rehman Dacait.

To this Mukesh said, "Poore Hindustan ke actors ek taraf, and then there is Akshaye Khanna."

Mukesh Chhabra opened up about the film’s casting journey and the thought behind assembling its ensemble.

Mukesh, who had earlier worked with Akshaye in Mom, was all praise for the Dil Chahta Hai actor and he said, "He (Akshaye) has his own sur, the way he thinks, the way he comes up with ideas. If you see every single expression of his, it is not borrowed and copied. He will always come up with his own idea, his own style, his own swag. He’s not a well-built guy, and he’s not tall, but his personality is everything. We wanted Rehman Dacait to look normal, but his aura should be such that whosoever looks at him should be scared.”

That philosophy extended across Dhurandhar, a film Mukesh Chhabra says demanded time, patience and absolute clarity.

Unlike projects that require quick turnarounds, Mukesh says that for Dhurandhar he took almost a year to cast.

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“In Dhurandhar I needed my proper time to cast. I got almost one year. Jaldi jaldi mein karoge toh achchi nahi banegi. Even if a character has one scene, you have to think about every single person," he says.

The casting process spanned Kashmir, Delhi, Dehradun and Mumbai, with a large team working on auditions and callbacks.

Mukesh Chhabra also revealed that his involvement went far beyond just selecting faces for the roles in the movie.

During the course of the conversation, Mukesh told us that he conducted workshops, stayed on set during the Thailand schedule, and remained involved until dubbing.

"I also did the workshop with actors, although there are a lot of things. It depends. I don't just do casting; I want to be the creative person on the film set. I was also on set in Thailand when they were shooting, and I also did a local casting theatre. I went there with the team. I stay with the team until the dubbing is done. There are times when I don’t like the voice of any small actor, and then I ask them to dub. They're small actors, but I need a powerful voice. So sometimes I'm just going to make it voice also at the end. So, I'm there till the end," he added, stressing the fact that casting is a creative responsibility, not a checkbox exercise.

Known for breaking stereotypes and launching many new faces in the industry, Mukesh Chhabra says he is driven by the need to surprise.

“They hire me for my opinion. I like to surprise people and break stereotype casting,” he says, pointing to earlier examples like casting Pankaj Tripathi as menacing Sultan in Gangs of Wasseypur and Jugal Hansraj as a villain in Kahaani 2.

That instinct carried into Dhurandhar, which features a wide-ranging ensemble including Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Rakesh Bedi, Gaurav Gera and several unexpected choices.

Also Read: Dhurandhar actor Rakesh Bedi confirms he has a bigger role in Part 2, praises Ranveer Singh and director Aditya Dhar - Exclusive

“Every single person was a difficult role to cast. Kuch bhi chhoda nahi hai. We didn't think ki baaki kuch bhi kar lenge. Aisa nahi hota; you have to sit on every person. 200 people will make your film," he says.

The other central pillar of the film is Ranveer Singh, an actor Mukesh Chhabra has known since the very start of his career.

“I auditioned him when he started. I’ve known him for 17 years,” he says.

While Ranveer Singh is known for his high-energy performances, be it his debut movie 'Band Baaja Baraat' or 'Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani,' Dhurandhar presented the actor in a completely different avatar.

“In the entire first part he was so calm and so silent, but he is so good. Please wait for the second part. You will go mad," said Chhabra.

Mukesh Chhabra credits director Aditya Dhar for creating an environment of trust that made him shape the film's layered characters.

“We chat almost every day. We understand each other,” he says.

Despite growing conversations around AI-led casting tools, Chhabra says Dhurandhar was crafted the old-fashioned way. “So far I haven’t used any AI. I didn’t use any software for this film,” he says, stressing instinct and observation over automation.

Looking ahead, Mukesh Chhabra is attached to projects including Border 2, Ramayana, Vishal Bhardwaj’s next, David Dhawan’s upcoming film and SRK's King, alongside nearly 30 films and shows. “You’ll see many new boys and new girls next year. A new face will be seen in Border 2,” he says.

Meanwhile, Dhurandhar has emerged as one of the year’s major theatrical successes, driven by its ensemble cast and Aditya Dhar’s direction.

The movie, which was initially conceived as a single project, eventually expanded into two parts during development.

“When we were making Dhurandhar, we never thought it would be in two parts. In the process, we realized it had to be," said Mukesh Chhabra.

As the film continues its box-office run and builds anticipation for its sequel, Mukesh Chhabra says he is certain of one thing: Dhurandhar’s casting will be remembered for its conviction and courage.