400 roles, 1,000 auditions and who rejected Rehmaan Dakait's role: What Dhurandhar's casting director has revealed

Akshaye Khanna may have stolen the spotlight as Rehmaan Dakait in Dhurandhar, but he wasn’t the original choice for the role. Casting director Mukesh Chhabra has revealed that a few actors had turned it down before Khanna stepped in.

In a recent interview, Mukesh shared that two to three actors declined the now-popular role. Without naming them, he said one actor from the South and two from Bollywood passed on the part, citing unusual reasons. Some reportedly felt the film, being an ensemble, was largely centred on Ranveer Singh.

“I can’t take names, but 2–3 actors said no. I’m sure they’re regretting it now. One actor from the South and two from Bollywood gave very strange logic. They felt it was Ranveer’s film since it’s an ensemble. But Aditya moves on quickly from negative thoughts,” Mukesh told Bollywood Hungama.


‘The script left me shaken’
Mukesh also recalled his first reaction to the script by Aditya Dhar, describing it as intense and overwhelming. He said he listened to a four-hour narration without even taking a break and was left stunned by the story.

He highlighted the film’s massive scale, revealing that nearly 400 roles were cast across both parts. A team of six worked for close to two years to finalise the ensemble, with Dhar giving full creative freedom and encouraging bold casting choices.

Ranveer Singh locked in from the start
According to Mukesh, Ranveer Singh was always the first and only choice for the lead role of Hamza. The actor reportedly agreed immediately, having been in search of a strong script.

Despite multiple rejections for different roles during casting, the team continued its search without slowing down.

1000+ auditions for Sara Arjun’s role

Mukesh also spoke about casting Sara Arjun as Yalina Jamali. To keep the character fresh and believable, the team chose a new face and conducted over 1,000 auditions before finalising her.

Box office success
The sequel, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, released on March 19 and has been performing strongly at the box office, reportedly crossing ?1500 crore globally. The film also stars Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Rakesh Bedi, and Danish Pandor in key roles.