Mumbai: At the India Today Conclave Delhi 2026, Akshay Kumar opened up about missing out on films, including Dhurandhar, which starred Ranveer Singh. The actor spoke honestly about how roles get cast in the industry and why he believes there is no room for jealousy among actors.
Akshay was also a part of a session named The Khiladi: Method Behind the Hit Machine, in which he spoke about his career and the trends that were changing in Bollywood. He was questioned, during the chat, whether he had ever wished he belonged to Dhurandhar because everyone believes that he would have been a fine fit in the gritty world of the film.
Akshay responded in his usual integrity. He pointed out that he could easily feel that people thought he was fit in the role but it all depends on what the filmmaker desires. In his opinion, the director Aditya Dhar must have been referring to another person, which is the reason why he was not cast in the film.
Akshay Kumar on missing films and actor insecurities
Speaking about the feeling of seeing someone else play a role, Akshay said it is natural for actors to sometimes wish they had done a particular film. However, he made it clear that such feelings do not come with jealousy.
Interestingly, he disclosed that these thoughts are two sided between actors. Akshay revealed that during their encounters with Ranveer Singh, the actor regularly informs him that he would have loved to have done some of his films. This, according to Akshay, is typical in the industry whereby numerous actors vie over roles.
He also pointed out the bigger picture. With around 15 to 20 major actors and nearly 180 films being made in India every year, there is enough work for everyone. In his words, actors may regret missing a film, but there is no bitterness or insecurity attached to it.
Akshay praises Dhurandhar’s action success
Akshay also used Dhurandhar as an example while discussing the current popularity of big scale action films. He said the movie is packed with action and intense violence, which audiences have clearly enjoyed.
He attributed the high energy performance of Ranveer Singh to the overall effect of the film. According to Akshay, Ranveer carries a potent image of an angry young man in the movie and he does great action scenes which have hardened him with the audience.
The actor went on to say that the audience tastes keep on varying. Although action films are having a big moment currently, horror comedies have been doing very well as well. He indicated that Stree was an enormous success and demonstrated how the trends change in Bollywood according to the taste of the audience.
Dhurandhar 2 set for a massive release
Following the huge success of Dhurandhar, its sequel Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge is scheduled to release on March 19. The trailer, which dropped on March 7, promises an even bigger spectacle with Ranveer Singh returning in a more intense avatar.
In the sequel, Ranveer stars as two characters Jaskirat and Hamza and creates the scene of the revenge fuelled film with high octane action and bloody fights. The movie also recalls some of its best actors such as Arjun Rampal, R. Madhavan and Sanjay Dutt.
Pre-sales indicate that the sequel will have a massive opening. There have been paid previews that have already been sold on over 4,11,182 tickets throughout India. The movie has been able to make advance sales of approximately Rs 21.4 crore and advance sales of approximately 26.53 crore including blocked seats as observed by Sacnilk.
The bookings have mostly been carried out in the Hindi market with 3,81,735 tickets already being sold. There have been other language versions such as Tamil that have also added up.
The film is also performing strongly overseas. For its premiere shows in the United States, Dhurandhar 2 has already crossed the $1.31 million mark.
With this momentum, the sequel is now aiming to challenge the premiere records of major blockbusters like Animal, Jawan, Pushpa 2: The Rule, KGF: Chapter 2, and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, which still holds the biggest North American premiere record at about $4.3 million.
With strong advance bookings and growing buzz, all eyes are now on whether Ranveer Singh’s action spectacle can break more records once it hits theatres.
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