Veteran actor Rakesh Bedi, who plays an important role in Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar, opened up about his decades-long bond with co-star Sanjay Dutt, behind-the-scenes memories from the film's set, and the unexpected revelation that he was initially cast in Sanjay's debut film Rocky.
Rakesh began by speaking about his long-standing connection with Sanjay Dutt. He told NDTV, "Me and Sanjay go back a very long way. I know him from the day he came. I was cast in his first film, Rocky. I got the offer."
Revealing why he could not do the film, Rakesh said, "I could not do that because I had some other commitment during that time. So I know him since that day. In between, I have also done a few films with him. And then when we met this time, we had a lot to talk about."
The two bonded over memories and old anecdotes. The actor continued, "He calls me brother because he knows I am senior to him, gives me a lot of respect. One day I remember I asked him, 'How is Madam?' He got very upset with me. I said, what happened? He said, 'Brother, you're saying Madam? I don't like it. She is your younger sister, your daughter-in-law. How can you say that? I don't like it.' There's a kind of respect and bond.'"
Rakesh Bedi talks about Dhurandhar
When asked about other memorable moments on the Dhurandhar set, Bedi shared how he felt the script needed humour - and how that led to a warm creative exchange with director Aditya Dhar, saying, "I remember one thing - initially, when I read the script, I found that the film is very intense. I won't call it grim, but very intense. It doesn't let you off the hook at all. But the humour was lacking."
He continued, "I told Aditya, I can feel some points where I can sprinkle some humour and wit, and definitely, there could be laughter." Bedi added that they gradually found a rhythm together.
"It was a great bond between me and Aditya. And it's showing in the film. You'll find that there are many moments where I have tried to extract humour out of nothing, you can say. It's not in the dialogue as such. It's just maybe in a look or a laugh or one small gesture and it was there," added the veteran actor.
Dhurandhar released in theatres on December 5.