Aditya Dhar’s directorial ‘Dhurandhar’, which released on December 5, has been earning praise for its powerful performances. The film is doing exceptionally well at the box office and has already crossed Rs 350 crore at the domestic box office. However, much before the film hit theatres, social media was abuzz with discussions around the nearly 20-year age difference between lead actors Ranveer Singh and Sara Arjun, ever since the first-look teaser dropped. Now, casting director Mukesh Chhabra has opened up about the casting choice and explained why the age gap was essential to the story.Mukesh Chhabra said that the debate around the age difference would make sense once ‘Dhurandhar 2’ releases next year. He clarified that the casting was driven purely by the film’s narrative requirements. While he admitted that he couldn’t reveal much at this stage, he shared that he found the chatter around the age difference quite amusing. He said during a chat with Free Press Journal, “No, I had got a very clear brief. The story is that he is trying to trap her. So, we knew that we wanted a young girl who is 20-21 years old. And when part 2 comes, whoever is talking about the age gap will get all the answers. It’s not like we don’t have good actors in that 26-27 years of age group; we have good actors. But this was (age gap) required in the film. Everything you can’t explain to people. When I was also reading about the age gap, I was laughing. According to the film’s brief, it is correct.” When asked about casting Sara Arjun for the role, especially after director Aditya Dhar revealed that nearly 1,300 girls were auditioned, Chhabra spoke about the intent behind choosing a fresh face. “I am very happy that a lot of directors, including Aditya, are now giving more chances to newcomers. So, my idea was that we are creating the whole world. So, we are doing surprise casting, and this girl should look completely fresh. Even though she has been a child actor and has done a couple of films as a child actor, we wanted to give a fresh approach. So, I have been working with Sara for many years, and she has been coming for auditions. She is really a lovely girl. When she gave the audition, I saw the hidden talent behind her sweet face. She is such an amazing actor, you will see that in part 2,” he added.‘Dhurandhar’ also stars Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, Akshaye Khanna and R. Madhavan in key roles apart from Ranveer and Sara. The makers have already announced that the sequel, ‘Dhurandhar 2’, is slated for a theatrical release on March 19, 2026. Go to Source
