‘Dhurandhar’ star Rakesh Bedi’s performance stuns Madhur Bhandarkar: ‘I would have thought three or four times about casting him; hats off to Aditya Dhar’ - Exclusive

Aditya Dhar owned 2025 with the release of his spy thriller ‘Dhurandhar.’ He is not only being lauded for his vision but also for his conviction in the script and cast. Every artist in the movie is being lauded for their stellar performance. Especially Rakesh Bedi, who for decades has been doing comedy roles, stunned all with his performance as a villain. Even filmmaker Madhur Bhandarkar was impressed to see Rakesh Bedi playing such an important negative character. He lauded director Aditya Dhar for his vision and conviction in his stars and project.

Madhur Bhandakar applauds Rakesh Bedi’s work in ‘Dhurandhar'

“Suddenly, people are discovering Rakesh Bedi. He was outstanding in the film. I even told Aditiya Dhar that if anyone had recommended me, Rakesh Bedi, for this role, I would have thought three or four times about casting him," said the ‘Fashion’ filmmaker in an exclusive conversation with us.




He added how anyone would have gone for a much safer choice to play the villain, but Aditya broke the pattern and took the risk. “It was completely the director's conviction, and I hats off to Aditiya Dhar.”

Madhur Bhandarkar credits Aditya Dhar for the impeccable cast

He continued, “I told Aditiya he deserves special mention for this. He really had the conviction to cast him as a villain. This was not a small role; it was a big role with significant twists and turns.”

“I also mentioned on my tweet that this is the first time in a long time that every character in the film looked like their character. They didn't look like Arjun Rampal, Akshay Khanna, Ranveer Singh, or Madhavan; they were the characters in the film, which I would love to say was outstanding. You felt like you were watching a completely different film,” he expressed.

‘Dhurandhar’ and the box office success

‘Dhurandhar’ starring Ranveer Singh, Akhshaye Khanna, Sara Arjun, Rakesh Bedi, and more, has been keeping the cash registers ringing at the box office. Released on December 5, 2025, the movie has crossed Rs 750 crore in India and Rs 1180 crore worldwide. It has been giving tough competition to all new releases coming from regional, national and international backgrounds.



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