Who is Mukesh Chhabra? The casting director behind Dhurandhar's blockbuster cast on rejections, 1,000 auditions & more
Born in Delhi in 1984 and trained at the National School of Drama, Chhabra founded the Mukesh Chhabra Casting Company in 2008 and has since cast over 300 films and 100 web series
- Apr 6, 2026,
- Updated Apr 6, 2026 2:56 PM IST
When Aditya Dhar sat down with Mukesh Chhabra to narrate the story of Dhurandhar, the session lasted four hours. Chhabra didn't move. He didn't take a break. And when it was over, he was, by his own admission, in shock.
That four-hour narration set the tone for what would become one of Hindi cinema's most ambitious casting exercises. Dhurandhar: The Revenge, the sequel to Dhar's blockbuster spy thriller starring Ranveer Singh, released on March 19 and has already crossed Rs 1,600 crore worldwide.
But before a single frame was shot, Chhabra and a team of six spent nearly two years finding the right faces for a film that demanded scale, secrecy, and surprise.
The man behind the cast
Mukesh Chhabra is no stranger to big films. Born in Delhi in 1984 and trained at the National School of Drama, he founded the Mukesh Chhabra Casting Company in 2008 and has since cast over 300 films and 100 web series. His credits read like a checklist of modern Bollywood's defining moments: Rockstar, Gangs of Wasseypur, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Dangal, Scam 1992, Jawan.
He is also credited with introducing some of the industry's most celebrated talents to mainstream cinema, including Sushant Singh Rajput, Rajkummar Rao, Mrunal Thakur, and Sanya Malhotra. In 2020, he stepped behind the camera himself, making his directorial debut with Dil Bechara.
For Dhurandhar, however, even someone of Chhabra's experience felt the weight of the assignment.
"I got scared initially, even after casting for so many films in the past. I had to find so many characters, newer faces, it was a big film," he told Bollywood Hungama. "If I combine both the parts, I had to do the casting of around 400 people. I made a team of six people and started the search. Aditya gave me full freedom and asked me to think as big as I can. He wanted to surprise people. He already believed that this film will break all the records and all the roles will get a lot of love."
Don't miss: Zakir Khan calls out Bollywood's 'fake love' over Dhurandhar 2's success
Ranveer was always the plan
One decision was never in doubt. Ranveer Singh as Hamza was locked from the start, and the actor needed no convincing.
"We were always clear that Ranveer Singh will be cast as Hamza. He agreed instantly because he was also waiting for the right film," Chhabra said.
The role three actors turned down
The most revealing part of Chhabra's account concerns the casting of Rehmaan Dakait, the antagonist brought to life by Akshaye Khanna in what has become one of the film's most talked-about performances. Getting there was not straightforward.
"I can't take any names but 2-3 actors had said no for his role. I am sure they are regretting that decision today. An actor from South and two from Bollywood gave very weird logic. They said that this is an ensemble cast and it's actually Ranveer's film, but Aditya moves on from negative thoughts quickly," Chhabra revealed.
A thousand auditions for one character
If the casting of Rehmaan Dakait required patience, finding the actress to play Yalina Jamali demanded something closer to obsession. Sara Arjun eventually landed the role, but not before Chhabra conducted over 1,000 auditions and turned away a flood of industry interest along the way.
"Me and Aditya both were being approached for the role. I told him that we would need someone who doesn't have any old baggage, so a completely new face would work better. Everyone should believe that this is Yalina only. I wanted to cast for the character and keep it a surprise. We did over 1000 auditions for her role," he said.
When Aditya Dhar sat down with Mukesh Chhabra to narrate the story of Dhurandhar, the session lasted four hours. Chhabra didn't move. He didn't take a break. And when it was over, he was, by his own admission, in shock.
That four-hour narration set the tone for what would become one of Hindi cinema's most ambitious casting exercises. Dhurandhar: The Revenge, the sequel to Dhar's blockbuster spy thriller starring Ranveer Singh, released on March 19 and has already crossed Rs 1,600 crore worldwide.
But before a single frame was shot, Chhabra and a team of six spent nearly two years finding the right faces for a film that demanded scale, secrecy, and surprise.
The man behind the cast
Mukesh Chhabra is no stranger to big films. Born in Delhi in 1984 and trained at the National School of Drama, he founded the Mukesh Chhabra Casting Company in 2008 and has since cast over 300 films and 100 web series. His credits read like a checklist of modern Bollywood's defining moments: Rockstar, Gangs of Wasseypur, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Dangal, Scam 1992, Jawan.
He is also credited with introducing some of the industry's most celebrated talents to mainstream cinema, including Sushant Singh Rajput, Rajkummar Rao, Mrunal Thakur, and Sanya Malhotra. In 2020, he stepped behind the camera himself, making his directorial debut with Dil Bechara.
For Dhurandhar, however, even someone of Chhabra's experience felt the weight of the assignment.
"I got scared initially, even after casting for so many films in the past. I had to find so many characters, newer faces, it was a big film," he told Bollywood Hungama. "If I combine both the parts, I had to do the casting of around 400 people. I made a team of six people and started the search. Aditya gave me full freedom and asked me to think as big as I can. He wanted to surprise people. He already believed that this film will break all the records and all the roles will get a lot of love."
Don't miss: Zakir Khan calls out Bollywood's 'fake love' over Dhurandhar 2's success
Ranveer was always the plan
One decision was never in doubt. Ranveer Singh as Hamza was locked from the start, and the actor needed no convincing.
"We were always clear that Ranveer Singh will be cast as Hamza. He agreed instantly because he was also waiting for the right film," Chhabra said.
The role three actors turned down
The most revealing part of Chhabra's account concerns the casting of Rehmaan Dakait, the antagonist brought to life by Akshaye Khanna in what has become one of the film's most talked-about performances. Getting there was not straightforward.
"I can't take any names but 2-3 actors had said no for his role. I am sure they are regretting that decision today. An actor from South and two from Bollywood gave very weird logic. They said that this is an ensemble cast and it's actually Ranveer's film, but Aditya moves on from negative thoughts quickly," Chhabra revealed.
A thousand auditions for one character
If the casting of Rehmaan Dakait required patience, finding the actress to play Yalina Jamali demanded something closer to obsession. Sara Arjun eventually landed the role, but not before Chhabra conducted over 1,000 auditions and turned away a flood of industry interest along the way.
"Me and Aditya both were being approached for the role. I told him that we would need someone who doesn't have any old baggage, so a completely new face would work better. Everyone should believe that this is Yalina only. I wanted to cast for the character and keep it a surprise. We did over 1000 auditions for her role," he said.