- By Khushi Surana
- Tue, 06 Jan 2026 11:50 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Aditya Dhar directed Dhurandhar continues to shine bright at the box office thanks to its star-studded cast, meticulous direction and a powerful storyline that has kept the audience hooked even after a month of its release. Recently, Naveen Kaushik, who played the role of Donga in the spy thriller, shed light on how the limelight was drastically shifted from Ranveer Singh to Akshaye Khanna, who portrayed the role of Rehman Dakait in the movie. He also discussed the off-screen characters of Ranveer and Akshaye and how they are different from each other.
Naveen Kaushik candidly discussed how Ranveer Singh was overshadowed and was ripped from the limelight that he and his character deserved. In a conversation with Siddharth Kannan, he shared, "I do feel it's unfair. Akshaye sir has undoubtedly created an iconic character that will be remembered for years. But what Ranveer has done as an actor-the tiny nuances, his voice modulation-for someone so energetic in real life to suppress all of that and play the complete opposite, it's extremely difficult."
Hailing Singh's performance, he said, "In the famous FA9LA song, everyone in the scene is dancing, except Ranveer Singh. To restrain yourself in a moment like that is incredibly hard."
He further added, "Ranveer's character is deliberately underplayed. He doesn't seek attention. In the film, the first man in command is Akshaye, followed by Danish. If Ranveer had ego issues, he could have easily tried to draw focus to himself, but he didn't. An insecure actor would have done that. Ranveer stayed true to his character and allowed someone else to shine."
Talking about Ranveer and Akshaye's off-screen persona, he stated, "On set, Ranveer Singh always treated us like friends. Akshaye Khanna, on the other hand, maintained a certain distance, mostly because he was deeply invested in his character."
"Interestingly, the on-screen dynamic translated into real life as well. You'd see all the gang members sitting together, laughing and having fun, while Rehman Dakait would sit a little apart. That's how it was throughout the shoot," Naveen shared.
About Dhurandhar
Ranveer Singh-starrer Dhurandhar has emerged as one of the highest-grossing Indian films. After crossing the lifetime collection of high-octane movies like Pathaan and Jawan, the spy thriller continues to dominate at the box office. According to Sacnilk, in a month of its theatrical run, the movie bagged a net collection of Rs 776.75 crores.
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Regarding its worldwide collection, the movie garnered a gross collection of Rs 1,240 crores, according to Jio Studios, making it the fifth biggest hit in Indian cinema.