India, Jan. 3 -- Dhurandhar is the talk of the town, and in a cast brimming with stars like Ranveer Singh, R Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt and Arjun Rampal, it is Akshaye Khanna's chillingly restrained performance as Rehman Dakait that audiences can't stop talking about. Quiet, coiled, and unsettling, his turn has emerged as one of the film's most memorable elements.

What makes this even more remarkable is that Dhurandhar nearly didn't have Akshaye Khanna at all.

Casting director Mukesh Chhabra recently revealed the year-long struggle to convince him to join the project. By the time Mukesh came on board, Ranveer Singh was already locked in, a factor that often makes other actors hesitant. Undeterred, Chhabra approached every role with equal ser...