'It's unfair': 'Dhurandhar' actor Naveen Kaushik FEELS Ranveer Singh was OVERLOOKED despite strong performance

'Dhurandhar' is getting heavy praise from everywhere and has been doing very well at the box office. Akshaye Khanna’s role as Rehman Dakait has received a lot of praise.


Many people are talking about his calm and powerful screen presence. But actor Naveen Kaushik feels that while this praise is deserved, it has also taken attention away from Ranveer Singh.



In a chat with Siddharth Kannan, Naveen spoke about how both actors worked on set and how different they were as people. He shared that working with both gave him a clear view of their styles and mindsets.

Akshaye Khanna stayed in his own space

Naveen, who played Rehman Dakait’s close aide in the film, spoke about Akshaye Khanna’s approach. He said, "On set, Ranveer Singh always treated us like friends. Akshaye Khanna, on the other hand, maintained a certain distance, mostly because he was deeply invested in his character."


He added that the film’s gang feeling could be seen even off camera. "Interestingly, the on-screen dynamic translated into real life as well. You'd see all the gang members sitting together, laughing and having fun, while Rehman Dakait would sit a little apart. That's how it was throughout the shoot," he said.

Not cold, just focused

Naveen made it clear that Akshaye Khanna was never rude or unkind. He explained, "If we went up to him for a conversation, he would speak very warmly. But once the conversation ended, he would retreat back into his space, and so would we." He also said, "I don't know if it was method acting, but just like Rehman Dakait, who stays quiet, observes, and remains unpredictable, Akshaye sir was quite similar in real life."


According to Naveen, Akshaye stayed away from noise and drama and focused only on becoming the character.

Why Ranveer deserved more praise

While praising Akshaye, Naveen strongly felt Ranveer Singh was overlooked. He said, "I do feel it's unfair. Akshaye sir has undoubtedly created an iconic character that will be remembered for years. But what Ranveer has done as an actor the tiny nuances, his voice modulation for someone so energetic in real life to suppress all of that and play the complete opposite, it's extremely difficult." He gave the example of the FA9LA song and said, "In the famous FA9LA song, everyone in the scene is dancing, except Ranveer Singh. To restrain yourself in a moment like that is incredibly hard."

No ego, only honesty

Naveen ended by talking about Ranveer’s attitude. He said, "Ranveer's character is deliberately underplayed. He doesn't seek attention." He added that Akshaye comes first in command, then Danish, and Ranveer follows. Naveen said, "If Ranveer had ego issues, he could have easily tried to draw focus to himself, but he didn't." He concluded by saying, "Ranveer stayed true to his character and allowed someone else to shine."