- Gulshan Grover discussed the absence of bold villains in current Hindi cinema
- Shatrughan Sinha spoke about Grover's potential role in the film Dhurandhar
- Grover said real-life criminals like those in old films are rarely seen today
Gulshan Grover, the OG baddie of Hindi cinema in the 1980s and 90s, opened up about unapologetic villains from that era. He also revealed an anecdote from a recent dinner with Shatrughan Sinha with a Dhurandhar connection.
What's Happening
- Gulshan Grover told India Today, "Two days back, Shatrughan Sinha was there, who has played anti-hero, strong, powerful characters-Rakesh Roshan, Shashi Ranjan-we were having dinner. So, I walked in late, and he (Sinha) said, 'I saw Dhurandhar. Gulshan Grover, that was a film in which you should have been there'."
- He added, "He (Sinha) even said how wonderful it would have been if I had played Rehman Dakait, Akshaye Khanna's role. So, I said, even I agree with that. The public also agrees."
On The Absence Of Evil Villains And Change In Crime Storytelling
Gulshan Grover further explained that he believes the 'khalnayak'-type villains are no longer there in cinema.
However, he added, "They will come back. Because in society, the filmmaker writes what's happening in society. They draw inspiration from there."
Stating how such characters are lesser today as real-life parallels have also reduced in number, Gulshan Grover said, "Never anywhere would you see somebody walk into a restaurant and people leave that place, or someone gets out of a car with a cigarette in hand, and people run away. Those kinds of people are not here anymore; hence, we don't see them in films."
The actor also spoke about why changes are happening in storytelling and that it is paramount for creative artists to adapt to it.
He said, "I have this one understanding: people who don't go with the change could be dressed very modern, but their vision is still old. You see some old men sitting under a tree, having a hookah and saying, 'humare zamaane mein toh (in our times)'. I don't belong to that. I don't subscribe to that. You have to continuously change, like everything else."
About Akshaye Khanna's Dhurandhar Fame
Coming back to Shatrughan Sinha believing Gulshan Grover could have played Rehman Dakait in Dhurandhar, the role was essayed by Akshaye Khanna. He essayed the character of Lyari gangster Rehman Dakait, based on a real-life figure. Rehman Dakait spread his wings in the political arena to consolidate power over Lyari, as shown in the film. He is killed by Hamza (played by Ranveer Singh) at the end of the first film.
About The Dhurandhar Franchise
The Dhurandhar franchise is a groundbreaking Hindi cinema series directed by Aditya Dhar, starring Ranveer Singh. Launched with its first film on 5 December 2025, it draws from real-life Indian security crises like the 1999 Kandahar hijacking, the 2001 Parliament attack, and more.
In the sequel, Ranveer continues his role as an undercover Indian agent, Hamza Ali Mazari, who infiltrates Lyari's gangster world to break the nexus of ISI-funded terror activities. Dhurandhar 2 is produced by Jyoti Deshpande and Lokesh Dhar and was released on 19 March in multiple languages, including Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam