Dhurandhar’s Rakesh Bedi reacts to Toxic being postponed due to US-Iran conflict
As Dhurandhar: The Revenge is set to release on March 19, actor Rakesh Bedi, who returns as Jameel Jamali, says unlike Toxic, the film has not been postponed due to the US-Iran conflict. He also addresses reports that his character is based on Pakistani politician Nabeel Gabol.
Veteran actor Rakesh Bedi, who plays the role of cunning politician Jameel Jamali in the Dhurandhar franchise, is now gearing up for the second and final film of the series, Dhurandhar: The Revenge.
Bedi is excited about the box office prospects of the sequel, which is scheduled to open on March 19. Speaking exclusively to India Today, he took a cheeky jibe while talking about Yash’s Toxic: A Fairy Tale for Grown-Ups being pushed from March 19 to June 4, when it was originally scheduled to clash at the box office with Dhurandhar: The Revenge.
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When the producers of Toxic cited tensions in the Middle East due to the US-Israeli conflict in postponing their film from March 19 to June 4, he responded: “The tension is there for us too in the Middle East, but we are coming.”
Earlier the first film of the franchise, Dhurandhar, had hit a road block while trying to release theatrically in the region on its scheduled release date, December 5, 2025. The film was banned in six Gulf countries – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, after authorities reportedly objected to its message, which was reportedly considered anti-Pakistan in nature.
Is Rakesh Bedi’s Jameel Jamali based on Pakistani politician Nabil Gabol?
Now, another controversy has emerged, in which Pakistani politician Nabeel Gabol has expressed his dissatisfaction over Bedi’s character Jamil Jamali in Dhurandhar. Gabol has reportedly claimed that Bedi’s Jamali resembles him. Responding to the claim, Bedi strongly clarified that the character was never intended to represent any specific person.
Bedi said, “I haven’t played any of his characters. I don’t understand why he is associating himself with the character. I have just adopted a certain look for the character. Now if someone feels that my looks resemble him, what can I really do about it? It’s not my fault. Maybe because of the wig and the style, they might feel that there is a slight resemblance. That’s their interpretation. But there’s not much we can do about it.”
Bedi further explained that the character was created by combining the qualities of several Pakistani politicians rather than a single personality.
“As far as the writers, directors and producers are concerned, we never thought about portraying Nabeel Gabol specifically. In fact, I created the character from a mix of several Pakistani politicians, their speeches, their body language and aspects that suited the role. I adapted those elements and then built the character from there. So, if Nabeel Gabol alone feels that the character represents him or chooses to see it that way then it really He has his own issue. I can’t help it,” the actor concluded.
Along with Rakesh Bedi, the cast of Dhurandhar: The Revenge includes Ranveer Singh, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun, Sanjay Dutt and R Madhavan. The film has been written and directed by Aditya Dhar.