Mukesh Chhabra on Finding Atiq Ahmed, Nawaz Sharif Lookalikes for Dhurandhar 2, Reacts to Memes

Since Dhurandhar 2 opened in theatres a week ago, much as we debate the detailing and performance of Aditya Dhar and Ranveer Singh, we debate the support cast. A few of the actors who portray characters based on real figures are dead ringers to those figures. To the extent that there exist theories that it was AI that was involved. Casting director Mukesh Chhabra talked to us about what it took to cast these roles and how he did it on the two blockbusters.

In 2024-25, Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar 2 are back-to-back shot, with Mukesh and his crew casting in excess of 300 roles. Although the leading role, with Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna and Rakesh Bedi, has received notable recognition, the supporting cast has received acclaim on the basis of being similar to the part they play. Actors portraying characters based on ISI financier Javed Khanani, former Pakistan PM Nawaz Sharif and UP gangster Atiq Ahmed have confused audiences with their similarity.

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Mukesh Chhabra about casting of Dhurandhar

When we explain to the casting director about memes that the real Nawaz Sharif has been hired to portray the part of Nawab Shafiq in the movie, he laughs it off. But he does refer to it as high praise.

Talking about how he and his team balanced between looking for actors who resembled the characters and finding solid performers, Mukesh says, “It depends on the role. In some roles, I went for physical appearance. But for others, I needed a great performer, and then we could make them look like the character. For instance, with Atif Ahmed, I wanted him to look like Atiq Ahmed. Of course, he also needed to act. So, it had to be a mix and match of both. Then, I knew (Danish Pandor, who plays) Uzair Baloch is a great actor, and you can create his look accordingly. There, we needed a good actor first.”

The veteran casting director also attributes transformations in the actors to the hair and makeup artist of the film, Preetisheel Singh. “Preetisheel also did a great job with the hair and makeup and how she transformed those actors into the characters,” he says.

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Community Praise doth me make glad for casting

The two Dhurandhar movies have raised new interest in casting in India, which is a very silent part of film making. Talking about the winds of change, Mukesh Chhabra says, “I have been casting for the last 20 years. I see the way people are now taking this job seriously and giving it a lot of love, and that makes me happy for the whole community. Not just for myself, I am also happy for Shanoo (Sharma), Karan & Nandini, Casting Bay, and my entire community. The system had been in place, and the work is finally paying off.”

Dhurandhar is a film with Ranveer Singh as an Indian spy in Pakistan. It grossed ₹1300 crore across the world and the first film also featured Akshaye Khanna, Arjun Rampal, R Madhavan, and Sanjay Dutt. Its sequel, which came out last week, has already collected ₹850 crore across the globe. Rakesh Bedi, Sara Arjun and Danish Pandore also lead key roles in the two films.

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