{
  "id": 8841230,
  "title": "Akshaye Khanna wasn’t first choice for Dhurandhar and almost turned down the film: ‘Are you mad?’",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/21/akshaye-khanna-wasnt-first-choice-for-dhurandhar-and-almost-turned",
  "topic": "culture",
  "section": "Culture",
  "published": "2026-09-21T03:44:07.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Gulf News",
    "slug": "gulf-news",
    "url": "https://gulfnews.com/entertainment/akshaye-khanna-wasnt-first-choice-for-dhurandhar-and-almost-turned-down-the-film-are-you-mad-1.500681876"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Casting director Mukesh Chhabra has revealed that Akshaye Khanna was not the first choice for his role in Dhurandhar. Two or three major stars had initially turned down the part before Khanna agreed to take it on. Speaking on an episode of Shekhar Suman's Shekhar Tonite, Chhabra recalled how Khanna questioned the reason for playing a villainous role, saying, \"Are you mad? Why would I play the villain?\" However, after hearing the story for just five minutes, Khanna changed his mind and agreed to the role. Chhabra praised Aditya Dhar's writing and expressed confidence in his vision for the film. He also highlighted Ranveer Singh's willingness to let the story take precedence over the usual expectations placed on a leading actor.",
  "summary": "Akshaye Khanna may have become one of the most talked-about performers in Dhurandhar , but casting director Mukesh Chhabra has revealed that the actor was not the first choice for his role. According to Chhabra, two or three major stars had turned down the part before Khanna agreed to come on board. Speaking on a recent episode of Shekhar Suman’s Shekhar Tonite , Chhabra recalled how he…",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}