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Akshaye Khanna 'scolded' Mukesh Chhabra for offering Rehman Dakait's role in Dhurandhar, listened to script for 4 hours: 'Pagal ho gaya hai...'
Mukesh Chhabra recalled how the journey to get Akshaye Khanna to play Rehman Dakait in Dhurandhar was anything but easy. Read on to know how he convinced the actor.
While Ranveer Singh might be the face on the poster for Dhurandhar, the name on everyone’s lips right now is Akshaye Khanna. Despite a cast packed with heavyweights like Sanjay Dutt and Arjun Rampal—who many argue give Ranveer a run for his money—it is Khanna’s portrayal of Rehman Dakait that has stolen the spotlight.
The journey to getting him on screen, however, was anything but easy. Casting director Mukesh Chhabra recently opened up about the year-long process of assembling the cast, specifically the "impossible" task of convincing the notoriously selective Akshaye Khanna to join the spy actioner.
Aditya Dhar thought Mukesh Chhabra’s casting goals were ‘overly ambitious’
When Chhabra joined the project, Ranveer Singh was already signed. In Bollywood, having one massive lead often makes it difficult to recruit other big names, but Chhabra was determined to ignore the industry's unwritten rules. He treated every role, from R. Madhavan's to Rakesh Bedi's, with the same meticulous attention.
Director Aditya Dhar initially thought Chhabra’s casting goals were overly ambitious. When Chhabra suggested Akshaye Khanna, the room was skeptical. “I said, Akshaye paaji will do it. And then we all jumped on it,” Mukesh recalled.
From a scolding to a 'Yes'
Akshaye Khanna is known for his privacy and his pickiness, a reputation that held true during Chhabra’s first outreach.
“I honestly hadn’t watched Chhaava then. But I called him. Unhone pehle mujhe daanta [He first scolded me]. He said, ‘Paagal ho gaya hai kya [Have you gone crazy]?’” Chhabra admitted. But he wouldn't take no for an answer, pleading with the actor to just hear the pitch.
Khanna eventually agreed to drive himself to the office, despite living far from the usual industry hubs. “I asked him to come to the office. He said, ‘Main toh yahan rehta hi nahi hoon. Bol kahan aana hai (I don’t even live here. Tell me where you want to meet me?)’”
Akshaye listened to the script for 4 hours
The turning point happened during a marathon four-hour meeting between Khanna, Chhabra, and Aditya Dhar.
“He came and sat for four hours. He quietly listened. He kept smoking. When we finished, he said, ‘F**k, it’s very good’. Then he said, ‘Well done, yaar. Bada maza aayega,’” Chhabra said. Even after that positive reaction, the team spent two nervous days waiting for a final answer. It finally came via a simple phone call: “He called me and said, ‘Let’s do it, bro.’”
With Dhurandhar’s success in the rearview mirror, Khanna is already diving into new territory. He is currently filming his Telugu debut, Mahakali, directed by Puja Kolluru. The film is a significant addition to the PVCU (Prashanth Varma Cinematic Universe), which includes hits like HanuMan. Fans have already caught a glimpse of his transformation into the character Shukracharya, marking a bold new chapter for the actor who continues to thrive by playing by his own rules.
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