Mumbai: Akshaye Khanna’s portrayal of Rehman Dakait in Dhurandhar went on to become one of the most talked-about performances in the film, but the actor was initially hesitant about taking on the role.

Casting director Mukesh Chhabra has revealed that Akshaye’s first reaction after hearing about the character was to question why he should play the villain. However, the actor changed his mind within minutes of hearing the story and agreed to join Aditya Dhar’s two-part action film on the same day.

Akshaye Khanna asked why he should play villain

Speaking on Shekhar Suman’s show Shekhar Tonite, Mukesh Chhabra recalled his conversation with Akshaye before the actor came on board.

Chhabra said Akshaye initially reacted with surprise when he was offered the role of Rehman Dakait.

“When I told the story to Akshaye bhai, he said, ‘Paagal hogaya hai kya tu? Villain kyu karunga mai?’ After listening to the story for five minutes, he said, ‘Fantastic’, and said yes the same day,” Chhabra recalled.

The casting director said he was confident from the beginning that Akshaye would make a strong impact in the role. According to him, the actor brought his own interpretation to Aditya Dhar’s writing after finding the right script and opportunity.

“I knew he would kill it. Akshaye added his own touch to Aditya Dhar’s writing. He got the right opportunity, the right script, at the right time,” Chhabra said.

Two or three big stars reportedly rejected role

Chhabra also revealed that Akshaye was not the first actor approached for the character.

According to the casting director, two or three established stars had turned down the role before Akshaye agreed to play Rehman Dakait. Chhabra said some actors were hesitant because Dhurandhar had an ensemble cast and Aditya Dhar had not directed a film for several years after Uri: The Surgical Strike.

“I can tell this now that 2-3 very big stars had said no for this role. They thought that it’s an ensemble cast and the director hasn’t worked since 7 years. The last film was Uri. They do a lot of calculations,” Chhabra said.

He added that actors can sometimes approach roles through calculations rather than instinct.

“When an artiste starts thinking with his mind instead of heart, then that’s a problem,” he said.

Akshaye’s Rehman Dakait became a talking point

Akshaye’s decision eventually resulted in one of the film’s most prominent performances. His character Rehman Dakait became a major talking point following the release of Dhurandhar.

The film was directed by Aditya Dhar and featured Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Rakesh Bedi and Sara Arjun.

The first instalment was released in theatres in December 2025, while the second part followed in March 2026.

Akshaye Khanna’s upcoming project

Akshaye Khanna was last seen in the Netflix original Ikka, which also starred Sunny Deol, Dia Mirza, Tillotama Shome and Sanjeeda Shaikh.

The actor is next set to appear as Shukracharya in Mahakali, a dark mythological action-fantasy film set in the Prasanth Varma Cinematic Universe.

Mahakali is scheduled to release on January 8 next year.