Ever since Aditya Dhars Dhurandhar hit theatres the film has been the talk of the town. While audiences and critics have praised its gripping storyline and powerful performances one name that continues to stand out is Akshaye Khanna. Known for his quiet intensity and selective choices Akshaye’s portrayal of Rehman Dakait has emerged as one of the film’s most talked-about elements. However what is even more interesting is that this film which is currently soaring high with Akshayes powerful performance had the actor almost reject the role initially. Casting director Mukesh Chabbra recently revealed how close Dhurandhar came to losing Akshaye Khanna. Akshaye Khanna Almost Missed Dhurandhar In a recent interaction Mukesh Chhabra revealed that convincing Akshaye Khanna to come on board was anything but easy. Chhabra admitted “I hadn’t even watched Chhaava back then” while recalling the early days of the casting process. He further shared that when he first called Akshaye with the offer the actor’s reaction was far from encouraging. “I called him and the first thing he did was scold me. He said ‘Paagal ho gaya hai kya?’ (Have you gone crazy?)” Chhabra recalled. Akshaye known for being intensely private and extremely selective about his projects was initially reluctant even to hear the script. However Chhabra persisted and requested him to at least listen to the narration before making a final decision. Akshaye eventually agreed and asked for details about the meeting location as he lives far from Mumbai’s usual film circuit. The Meeting That Changed Everything What was expected to be a brief interaction soon turned into an unexpectedly long session. Akshaye Khanna Mukesh Chbbra and Aditya Dhar had an elongated discussion nearly four hours quietly absorbing the story while smoking intermittently. When the narration finally ended Akshaye broke the silence with a reaction no one anticipated. “Fk it’s very good. Bada maza aayega. (It’s very good. This is going to be so much fun)” he said. Even after this positive response uncertainty lingered for two anxious days. Then came the call that sealed the deal. “He just said ‘Let’s do it bro.’ That was it” Chhabra revealed. A Performance That Left a Mark With Ranveer Singh R Madhavan Sanjay Dutt and Arjun Rampal already part of the cast Akshaye Khanna’s addition elevated Dhurandhar even further. His performance as Rehman Dakait has since become one of the most talked-about aspects of the film making it hard to imagine Dhurandhar without him.