Veteran actor Rakesh Bedi emerged as one of the most talked about highlights of the Dhurandhar duology with his quirky portrayal of Jameel Jamali. However, casting director Mukesh Chhabra has now revealed that Bedi was not the initial choice for the role and came on board only after a few actors declined the part.

EXCLUSIVE: “2-3 actors rejected Jameel Jamali role in Dhurandhar before Rakesh Bedi came on board,” reveals Mukesh Chhabra

Speaking in a conversation with Bollywood Hungama, Chhabra shared that two to three actors had turned down the role before he and director Aditya Dhar approached Bedi. He said, “It is a problem in our industry. Once people see an actor in a certain kind of role, they keep casting them in the same space again and again. I always feel we should go a little against that thinking for a part like this. Also two to three people had said no. I don’t want to take their names. I respect all the actors.”

Rakesh Bedi said yes without even hearing the story

Chhabra recalled that the idea to cast Rakesh Bedi came up during a discussion with Aditya Dhar. The actor had earlier worked briefly with the team in Uri: The Surgical Strike, which was Aditya Dhar’s directorial debut. “I remember everyone had refused and I was sitting with Aditya in his room. He said what do you think about Rakesh Bedi. He had worked with us in one scene in Uri. I said I was also thinking the same. He is the kind of person who never forgets if someone has helped him early in his career.”

Chhabra said he immediately reached out to the actor and assured him that a strong role was coming his way. “I called him and said a very big role is coming. Don’t worry. Talk to Aditya. I gave the phone to Aditya and told him just say yes. He said yes immediately. He did not even hear the story. He just trusted me and Aditya and said let’s do it.”

Casting against type helped create one of the film’s surprises

According to Chhabra, casting actors outside their usual screen image often leads to memorable results. He said Bedi’s performance surprised audiences and reinforced his belief that actors should not be restricted to familiar character templates. “He surprised people. This is what happens when you don’t look at actors only in fixed kinds of roles. Like when you see someone after a certain film and suddenly they do something unexpected, people don’t imagine it. We should keep breaking that pattern with every role.”

Chhabra also revealed that the response to Bedi’s performance has been deeply emotional for the actor and his family. “Rakesh Bedi came to my office and said Mukesh ji I am getting so much love after 49 years. He became a little emotional. I met his wife and his kids and everyone is so happy. He said we all come to this city for love and recognition. But the extra love that you receive from the audience is the real thing.”

Bedi’s portrayal of Jameel Jamali has since become one of the most widely discussed supporting performances from the Dhurandhar films, drawing appreciation from audiences across platforms.

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