- Ranveer Singh was cast in Dhurandhar for his performance skills, not star power
- The film was expensive, so the makers avoided casting costly actors
- Co-producer Jyoti Deshpande had previously worked with Ranveer on Ram-Leela
Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar Part 1 and 2 have become one of the most successful films in recent times. Following the film's impressive performance, co-producer Jyoti Deshpande opened up about why they featured Ranveer Singh in the lead role.
Explaining the reason behind Ranveer's casting, Jyoti shared that since the film already cost too much, they wanted a “performer” rather than a “so-called star", and Ranveer fit the description. During an interview with Outlook Business, Jyoti shared, “We knew the film was expensive. Every penny had to land up on screen. There were no safe things we could do because it was already an expensive film to shoot. Now, if we added expensive actors as well, it was going to render the film unviable on day one. So we wanted performers rather than the so-called stars."
Talking about her decision behind casting Raveer, she added, “I had worked with Ranveer on Ram-Leela and Bajirao Mastani when he wasn't this big. So I had worked with him when he was starting out, and I still believe those are some of my favourite films of Ranveer Singh. I find him an absolutely outstanding actor who gives it his all. He transforms into a character.”
She further continued talking about Ranveer Singh's ability to fully transform into his characters. “I love that about him, the fact that he is not Ranveer Singh in that film. When he has to become Bajirao, he becomes Bajirao. When he has to become Khilji, he becomes Khilji. When he has to become the Gully Boy, he becomes the Gully Boy. So he transforms; he doesn't play Ranveer Singh." She further revealed that Ranveer was involved beyond acting in Dhurandhar. According to her, Ranveer went all in and did nothing else for the duration of the film.
In the film, Ranveer Singh plays the role of Jaskirat Singh, alias Hamza Ali Mazari, who was sent to Lyari in Pakistan to bring down a terror unit. Alongside Ranveer Singh, Dhurandhar also starred Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, R. Madhavan, Sara Arjun, Rakesh Bedi, and Gaurav Gera in prominent roles. Dhurandhar 1 was released in theatres on December 5, 2025, whereas Dhurandhar 2 hit the theatres on March 19.