Why Akshaye Khanna almost rejected 'Dhurandhar'
What's the story
Akshaye Khanna's portrayal of Rehman Dakait in Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar has been widely acclaimed. However, casting director Mukesh Chhabra recently revealed that Khanna was not the first choice for the role. Speaking on Shekhar Suman's show Shekhar Tonite, Chhabra said, "I can tell this now that 2-3 very big stars had said no for this role."
Role rejection
Khanna was initially reluctant to take on villain role
Chhabra further revealed that Khanna was initially skeptical about playing a villain.
He said, "When I told the story to Akshaye bhai, he said, 'Paagal hogaya hai kya tu? Villain kyu karunga mai (Are you mad? Why would I play the villain?)."
"After listening to the story for five minutes, he said fantastic and said yes the same day. I knew he would kill it."
Script admiration
Chhabra lauded Dhar's script, Khanna's performance
Chhabra also praised Dhar's script and his confidence in executing it.
He said, "After the narration, I was quiet for half an hour. The script that Aditya wrote was just amazing."
He also lauded Khanna's performance, saying he added his "own touch" to Dhar's writing.
"He got the right opportunity, the right script, at the right time," Chhabra added.
Role discussion
Ranveer Singh surrendered to demands of story, says Chhabra
Chhabra was also asked about the decision to give Khanna's character more prominence than Ranveer Singh, the main lead.
He credited Singh for surrendering to the demands of the story.
"Hats off to Ranveer. If you tell a young hero today that you just have to stand and walk behind, he wouldn't do it," Chhabra said.
"Ranveer knew what was going to happen in the second half. He just surrendered...and you have the result in front of you today."
Career impact
On 'Dhurandhar's impact on his career
Chhabra also reflected on how Dhurandhar has changed the way audiences perceive his work.
He said, "I get a lot of love and respect now. Because of social media, people have started recognizing me, but earlier they only knew my name."
"I did the casting of PK, Sanju, Dangal, Gangs of Wasseypur, but the respect and popularity I received after Dhurandhar is unmatched."