Dhurandhar 2: Mukesh Chhabra reveals actors rejected Akshaye Khanna’s function in Dhurandhar, ‘now they remorse’, recollects R Madhavan, Sara Arjun castings | Hindi Movie News

Fresh off the thunderous success of Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge, casting director Mukesh Chhabra is soaking in what he calls a defining section in his journey. “It took me 20 years to reach here, after doing over 300 films,” Chhabra informed Hollywood Reporter India, reflecting on the movie’s influence on his profession.

Fresh off the thunderous success of ‘Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge,’ casting director Mukesh Chhabra is soaking in what he calls a defining section in his journey. Having meticulously auditioned over 300 actors throughout two years to make sure each character resonated with uncooked authenticity, he feels this venture lastly highlights the casting division’s very important function in Indian cinema, very similar to the current historic recognition on the Oscars, fueling his ardour for future groundbreaking storytelling ventures.“It took me 20 years to reach here, after doing over 300 films,” Chhabra informed Hollywood Reporter India, reflecting on the movie’s influence on his profession.

From ‘same faces’ to a casting revolution

Chhabra, who started his journey with Rang De Basanti (2006), recalled how casting in Bollywood has undergone a large shift over time.“They used to cast the same three people in every film—same villain, same right hand, same mother, same sister, same driver. Now the audience gets to see so many new actors and faces,” he mentioned.He identified that as we speak, “every single director in Bollywood, even the big directors making commercial films, has a casting director,” marking a big evolution in storytelling.

‘I don’t discover expertise on Instagram’

At a time when the trade is debating influencer-led casting, Chhabra drew a transparent line.“We keep recording data. But I only focus on a film once I get a script. I personally don’t find talent through Instagram,” he mentioned, emphasising his reliance on auditions and grassroots scouting.See More: ‘Dhurandhar 2’ week 1 box office round-up: Ranveer Singh, R Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt film breaks every possible record by any Indian film, inches towards Rs 800 crore

Many actors rejected Rehman Dakait‘s function

For Dhurandhar 2, directed by Aditya Dhar and starring Ranveer Singh, the casting course of was something however easy.“We were discussing so many actors’ names for the film, but they kept saying no, because they didn’t want to be part of an ensemble film,” Chhabra revealed, recalling the wrestle to forged key roles just like the antagonist Rehman Dakait.He added, “Sometimes you don’t have to create a look for an actor,” stressing the significance of pure match over beauty transformation. Interestingly, after the movie’s launch, a number of actors who had declined roles reached out once more—this time with remorse.One of the largest casting wins got here with Akshaye Khanna.“Akshaye Khanna’s name came towards the end… when I first called him, he said, ‘Are you mad?’ But I told him to at least hear the story. After the narration, he said ‘Fantastic!’ and confirmed within the day,” Chhabra shared.Similarly, R Madhavan got here on board nearly immediately.“I told him, trust me, we need only 10–12 days… he immediately said yes. He brought an authority to his performance. There is no action—he speaks calmly and never loses control,” he mentioned.

‘I don’t take into consideration performing, solely casting’

Chhabra’s philosophy stays distinct.“I don’t think about acting. I only think about casting for my character. If the acting is not that great but the actor is correct for my part, I will go with that actor,” he defined.That intuition prolonged to Dhurandhar 2, the place he pushed for exhaustive casting.“I wanted to cast every single person on screen… my team spent two years auditioning and casting over 300 people for the film,” he revealed.

Finding contemporary faces: Sara Arjun

The movie additionally turned a platform for locating new expertise, together with Sara Arjun.“When I saw her audition, I went mad. The scene where she confronts Ranveer Singh about being an Indian agent—that was her audition,” he mentioned.

Today, as Dhurandhar 2 turns into each a box-office and cultural phenomenon, the highlight is firmly on casting as a craft.More about ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’Directed by Aditya Dhar, the movie options Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, Rakes Bedi, R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, and Sara Arjun in key function. The star forged additionally contains Danish Pandor, Gaurav Gera, Mustafa Ahmed, Danish Iqbal, Saumya Tandon, and extra.It was launched in theaters on March 19, 2026.