Akshaye Khanna maintained distance on set, was very unpredictable, says Dhurandhar co-star: ‘Unfair Ranveer Singh didn’t receive recognition’

It has been exactly a month since Dhurandhar hit theatres, and the film continues to hold strong at the box office. Several films released after it, but none have managed to steal the spotlight from the Aditya Dhar directorial. While Ranveer Singh leads the film, it is Akshaye Khanna who has emerged as the most talked-about performer. However, actor Naveen Kaushik—who played Rahman Dakait’s close aide in the film—feels it is unfair that most of the praise has gone to Akshaye, when Ranveer took on what he believes was the more difficult task: “containing his energy and delivering an extremely subtle, monotone performance throughout the film.”

In a recent interview with Siddharth Kannan, Naveen opened up about working with Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna, shedding light on their on-set dynamics and behaviour.

“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,” Naveen shared, adding, “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 Rahman Dakait would sit a little apart. That’s how it was throughout the shoot.”

He clarified that Akshaye was never unapproachable. “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. I don’t know if it was method acting, but just like Rahman Dakait, who stays quiet, observes, and remains unpredictable, Akshaye sir was quite similar in real life. He stayed away from the chaos on set and focused solely on his character.”

Speaking about Ranveer Singh, Naveen Kaushik highlighted the stark contrast between the actor and his character Hamza. “Hamza is completely different from Ranveer. Ranveer is a ball of energy—a thousand-volt electric current. Whenever he’s on set, he greets everyone. He doesn’t like people sitting around lazily,” he said, adding, “These two characters—Hamza and Rahman—are poles apart. Every time the director said ‘cut’, Ranveer would instantly switch back to being himself, unless it was a very serious scene. He had a child-like curiosity throughout, with absolutely no ‘I am a huge star’ tantrums.”

Naveen added that Ranveer appeared far more emotionally balanced during Dhurandhar compared to earlier projects. “He wasn’t depressed the way he once spoke about being during Padmaavat. This time, it felt like he had an internal switch—he could move from Hamza to Ranveer in a click. He has incredible energy to play such varied characters. No one can match that.”

Despite praising Akshaye Khanna’s performance, Naveen Kaushik reiterated that Ranveer Singh deserved more recognition. “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 who is so energetic in real life to suppress all of that and play the complete opposite, it’s extremely difficult.”

Citing a specific moment, Naveen 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. But people didn’t notice it because of Akshaye sir’s commanding aura. Ranveer’s character is deliberately underplayed. He doesn’t seek attention. In the film, the first man in command is Akshaye, followed by Danish. If Ranveer had ego issues, he could have easily tried to draw focus to himself—but he didn’t. An insecure actor would have done that. Ranveer stayed true to his character and allowed someone else to shine.”

Talking about the equation between the two stars, Naveen said, “Ranveer and Akshaye shared a very cordial relationship on set. They rehearsed together, looked out for each other—whether it was during rehearsals or something as simple as arranging chairs. They were great collaborators.”

Dhurandhar marks Ranveer Singh’s grand return to the big screen after Gully Boy (2019). Despite the film’s massive success, the actor is yet to publicly react to its box office performance.

In 30 days, Dhurandhar has successfully crossed the Rs 1,200 crore mark worldwide, cementing its position as one of the biggest blockbusters in recent times.