Casting director Mukesh Chhabra has revealed that three lead actors had rejected the role of actor Akshay Khanna in director Aditya Dhar’s film. stalwart (2025). He shared that the film was initially rejected by a leading South Indian actor and two Hindi film actors.

Chhabra, in an interview with Bollywood HungamaRehman recalled the casting challenges before Akshaye Khanna came on board to play the dacoit. He said, “I can’t take anyone’s name but 2-3 actors had refused for his role. I am sure they are regretting that decision today. One actor from the South and two actors from Bollywood gave a very strange argument. They said it is an ensemble cast and it is actually Ranveer’s film, but Aditya is quick to move on from negative thoughts.”

The casting director had earlier talked about Khanna’s hesitation in playing the character in the Aditya Dhar directed film. Chhabra, in an interview with Hindustan Times He said, “Initially, even Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt and Akshay Khanna were not sure about being a part of the film. Only R Madhavan said yes. For the rest, it took time. Aditya and I were considering so many people, and honestly at first we never thought that we would cast such big stars.”

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Dhurandhar: Revenge (2026), sequel to stalwartHas been released in Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada. Apart from Khanna, the film also stars Ranveer Singh, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, R Madhavan, Sara Arjun, Danish Pandor, Rakesh Bedi, Manav Gohil, Udaybir Sandhu, Bimal Oberoi and Raj Zutshi. It is co-produced by Jio Studios and B62 Studios.

The espionage thriller was released theatrically on March 19, 2026, along with actor Pawan Kalyan’s Telugu action-drama. Ustad Bhagat Singh. Dhurandhar: Revenge It has earned Rs 1,492.17 crore worldwide in its 15-day box office performance.