Mukesh Chhabra on 'Dhurandhar' casting: 'Two years for 300 roles'; praises Aditya Dhar’s detailing

Along with 'Dhurandhar' and its sequel getting much love for the story and performances, one major factor of the films are surely the casting brilliance. Audiences are praising the perfect casts chosen for the film which has close resemblances with the real people in the real incidents shown in the movie.Dhurandhar 2 Movie ReviewMukesh Chhabra has opened up about the extensive casting process behind Dhurandhar: The Revenge. The film has not only impressed audiences with its story but also with its detailed casting. Talking to Hindustan Times, Mukesh Chhabra explained that the casting has connected because audiences have connected deeply with the characters. The scale of Dhurandhar’s casting was massive. The film, which was later split into two parts, features nearly 300 characters.Sharing the effort behind it, Mukesh said, “In two parts, there are more than 300 people, and casting every role was difficult. It took two years of my life, and eight of my assistants worked day and night on the film, creating every look and finding every actor fit for each role. But it was so fun,” he said.The casting process alone took two years. It involved countless auditions and detailed character planning.Mukesh Chhabra also spoke about his working relationship with Aditya Dhar. He revealed that while the two had disagreements, it ultimately helped the process.He said, “Aditya and I have been friends, so we can fight a bit. We can reach that common ground. There were lots of discussions where I heard him, he heard me, and we fought. But his brief was very clear, and that helped. I could visualise what he was imagining and what he wanted. There was no confusion.”He added that the clarity in direction played a major role in achieving the film’s detailed casting.Having worked on several major films, Mukesh believes Dhurandhar stands out because of its focused approach.He said, “Here it was just him (Aditya Dhar) and me,” and added, “Jab kaafi log casting mein ghuste hain, tabhi casting kharab hoti hai (When too many people are involved in casting, then it all goes wrong). In such cases, so many people give so much gyan.”According to him, limiting interference helped maintain the quality of casting.He further noted, “This is our reward. We worked so hard on getting these actors right, and now people are discussing who played Atiq Ahmed, and where did Babu Dakait come from? It means they have connected with the story and the characters. The work has been very detailed. Nothing has been done on the surface. There is so much detailing. Of course, half my work was done with Aditya’s brief because it was so well-detailed,” he added.Meanwhile, Aahana Kumra also shared her thoughts after watching the film. She praised Rakesh Bedi’s performance and highlighted a key moment from the climax.She wrote, "Hamza is second best spy!! #iykyk @therakeshbedi sir as menacing and entertaining and in a never seen before role of a lifetime! What was really wonderful was the fact that I watched the screening sitting next to @babybedi and she was crying, hooting and the most proud daughter I’ve seen to watch her father get cast in a role that was undeniably the best in the entire film! @castingchhabra and his team need a special mention for believing in actors and brining the best ones on screen! @vik_now your visuals have been nothing short of magical!"