Rakesh Bedi On Akshaye Khanna’s Dhurandhar Praise: 'He Was Always In The Game, Never Left It'

As Dhurandhar continues to draw crowds to theatres, Rakesh Bedi says the reaction to his character has taken him by surprise. The veteran actor, who plays Jameel Jamali, shares that the feedback has been

constant and global, with messages coming in from viewers across countries praising his performance. Alongside the love for his role, there has also been renewed attention on Akshaye Khanna’s turn as Rehman Dakait. Many have described the film as a comeback moment for Akshaye, but Bedi does not see it that way. From his point of view, Akshaye never disappeared from cinema, even if some of his films did not make noise at the box office. The two actors worked closely during the shoot and often spoke at length off set. Addressing the idea of Akshaye “returning” to the industry, Bedi told Hindustan Times, “Akshaye was always in the game. He never left it. Uski and humari films lagti rehti hai, koi kam chalti hai, koi zyada chalti hai but it doesn’t mean he was out of the industry.” The film has already crossed Rs 1186 crore worldwide, placing it among the biggest hits in recent years. While box office milestones are celebrated widely today, Bedi believes that such moments of overwhelming success are rare and unpredictable. “Yeh once in a lifetime hai success hai. Abhi aap dekhiye, jaise Baahubali thi. Bohot koshish ki lekin Prabhas ke liye to same dubara repeat nahi hua.” He feels that many people in the industry wait endlessly for such a phase, and some never experience it at all. “Every actor-director waits for this kind of a wave in their career and sometimes many people don’t get it ever. You cannot label this success. For example, you cannot categorise the success of Hollywood film Godfather,” Meanwhile, Dhurandhar has officially entered record-book territory. One month after its theatrical release, the Ranveer Singh-led spy thriller has done what no Hindi film has managed before. It has crossed Rs 800 crore at the Indian box office, setting a new benchmark for Bollywood. Before this, no Bollywood film had reached this number in India. The only other Indian film to cross Rs 800 crore domestically is Pushpa 2: The Rule, directed by Sukumar and starring Allu Arjun. It earned Rs 1234.1 crore net in India, including Rs 812.14 crore from its Hindi version. In comparison, Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan collected Rs 640 crore in India, while Vicky Kaushal’s Chhaava ended its run at around Rs 600 crore domestically.