<p dir="auto" data-pm-slice="1 1 []">Akshaye Khanna’s role as Rehman Dakait in Aditya Dhar’s <em>Dhurandhar</em> could have gone to someone else. Casting director and filmmaker Mukesh Chhabra has revealed that Khanna initially rejected the part, while two other major Bollywood stars had also turned it down. Chhabra shared the details during his appearance on Shekhar Suman’s show <em>Shekhar Tonite</em>, where he also spoke about Dhar’s vision and the making of the Ranveer Singh-led film.</p>
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<h2 dir="auto" data-pm-slice="1 1 []">Mukesh Chhabra Reveals How He Convinced Akshaye Khanna</h2>
<p dir="auto">During the conversation, Shekhar Suman asked Chhabra about convincing Akshaye Khanna to take on the role of Rehman Dakait in <em>Dhurandhar</em>. Chhabra revealed that the part had already been rejected by two other prominent stars before he approached Khanna.</p>
<p dir="auto">"I can say this openly now, do-teen bade stars ne iss role ko mana kar diya tha."</p>
<p dir="auto">Chhabra then recalled his conversation with Khanna after calling him about the film. The actor’s initial reaction was far from an immediate yes.</p>
<p dir="auto">"Maine Akshaye ko phone kiya aur btaya ye kahani hai, Akshaye said, ‘Pagal ho gaya hai kya tu? Mai villian kyu karunga?’ Maine fir kaha aap sunlo bas."</p>
<p dir="auto">Chhabra said that Khanna’s response changed after he actually heard the story. According to him, the actor spent around five minutes looking at him. After the narration, Akshaye replied saying, "Fantastic!"</p>
<p dir="auto">Chhabra added that Khanna read the script on the same day it was sent to him and quickly committed to the project.</p>
<p dir="auto">Mukesh said, "I sent him the script, he read it on the same day, and said ‘I’m doing it."</p>
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<h2 dir="auto" data-pm-slice="1 1 []">Mukesh Chhabra Praises Aditya Dhar’s Vision</h2>
<p dir="auto">Chhabra also spoke highly of director Aditya Dhar and his approach to <em>Dhurandhar</em>. He recalled being deeply affected when he first heard the script, saying he remained quiet for around half an hour after listening to it.</p>
<p dir="auto">He further said the film’s execution exceeded what he had read on the page, describing Dhar’s treatment of the story as significantly stronger than the script itself.</p>
<p dir="auto">"One good thing about Aditya Dhar, woh sirf apni sunta hai. Woh apne bare mai itna sure hai ki woh kisike opinion se apna opinion change nahi karta hai," Mukesh said.</p>
<p dir="auto">Chhabra also talked about Dhar’s ability to hold the audience’s attention despite the current short-form content culture. He said that at a time when viewers frequently switch between reels within minutes, Dhar managed to keep people engaged with a film running for around four hours without making them reach for their phones.</p>
<p dir="auto">The filmmaker also praised the combined effort of Ranveer Singh and Aditya Dhar in bringing <em>Dhurandhar</em> to the screen.</p>
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The post 'Pagal Ho Gaya Hai?': Akshaye Khanna First Rejected Rehman Dakait's Role In 'Dhurandhar', Reveals Mukesh Chhabra appeared first on 'Vibe' X Reactions: Viewers Call It A 'Fun Theatrical Watch', Some Find The Second Half 'Weak'.
