By: Entertainment DeskChennai | January 1, 2026 05:23 PM IST 4 min readDhurandhar boasts a powerhouse ensemble with actors like Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, Rakesh Bedi and Arjun Rampal playing pivotal roles, often even overshadowing lead star Ranveer Singh’s performance. However, the one actor who has made the most noise is Akshaye Khanna as Rehman Dakait.In a recent interaction, Dhurandhar’s casting director Mukesh Chhabra spoke about the film’s casting process, how it took a year of his life, and how he convinced Akshaye Khanna to play the role of Rehman Dakait.‘Impossible to get more stars after Ranveer’s casting’Speaking to India Today, Mukesh admitted that Ranveer Singh was already onboard when he came on board as the casting director. However, this made it “impossible to get more stars” as the film already had one big star. “That’s just how the Mumbai film industry works,” he said. “It didn’t matter whether it was Danish Pandor, Rakesh Bedi, Akshaye Khanna or R Madhavan. Even the smallest casting idea was done meticulously,” he added.Mukesh revealed that he had big ideas for the film’s casting, which even made director Aditya Dhar think he was crazy. The makers initially did not believe that Akshaye Khanna would say yes to the film, given how selective the actor is with his projects. “I said, Akshaye paaji will do it. And then we all jumped on it,” Mukesh said.ALSO READ | Dhurandhar Box Office Collection Worldwide Day 27 Update: Dhurandhar breaks Shah Rukh Khan record as it earns $17.5 mn in North America; earns Rs 1143.2 cr globally‘Akshaye Khanna scolded me when I proposed Dhurandhar’Mukesh went on to reveal Akshaye Khanna’s reaction when he first proposed the film to him. “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]?’ I asked him to at least hear me out once,” he said.Akshaye Khanna kept smoking while listening to Dhurandhar scriptMukesh shared that after persistent efforts, Akshaye finally agreed to meet him and director Aditya Dhar and even drove himself to their office. “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?)’”Story continues below this adRecalling the meeting and the moment Akshaye agreed to do the film, Mukesh said, “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.’”Despite Akshaye’s reassuring response, the makers remained uncertain for the next couple of days. However, their doubts were finally cleared when Akshaye called and confirmed his willingness to be part of the film. “He called me and said, ‘Let’s do it, bro,’” Mukesh recalled.After Dhurandhar’s success, Akshaye moves to Telugu cinemaAfter Dhurandhar’s success, Akshaye has already moved on to his next project. He is set to make his Telugu debut as the film Mahakali director Puja Kolluru posted behind-the-scene photos with the actor from the sets of the film. She posted a selfie with the actor and they both are seen smiling for the camera in the sunny weather. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Puja Aparna Kolluru (@puja.kolluru)Mahakali is a part of the superhero universe PVCU, which includes films like HanuMan, Jai Hanuman and Adhira. In September, the makers had shared Akshaye’s look from the film as Shukracharya.Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.© IE Online Media Services Pvt LtdTags:Akshaye Khanna