India, Dec. 25 -- Akshaye Khanna's commanding screen presence in Dhurandhar has emerged as one of the film's biggest talking points. From his first appearance to the now-viral Fa9la sequence, audiences have been fixated not just on the character of Rehman Dakait, but on how he looks. What many don't know, however, is that the outfit that now feels inseparable from the character almost didn't make it to the screen.

In a conversation with Digital Commentary, costume designer Smriti Chauhan revealed that the initial costume plan was a whole different story. Akshaye was meant to appear largely in pathanis - pretty simple, right? But the actor felt that this route lacked essence. "It was a very important input by Akshaye sir himself, that we ...