Dhurandhar: The Revenge continues its strong box office run, gathering momentum through strong word-of-mouth. If Ranveer Singh’s fiery dual avatar as Jaskirat Singh Rangi and Hamza is garnering attention, Arjun Rampal as the film’s formidable antagonist is a standout, too. As Major Iqbal, he adds understated menace to villainy, maintaining that vibe from the first film of the franchise, Dhurandhar.
Dhurandhar 2 brings back Aditya Dhar as director, and the film has not only opened to impressive numbers but is holding steady at the global box office, with audiences and critics alike praising the film’s scale, storytelling, and performances. A substantial part of the spotlight right now is on Rampal, whose layered portrayal has struck a chord with the public. The actor himself, however, appears to be taking it all in with quiet disbelief.
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Rampal reflects on his standout role
“Thank you. I don’t even know what to do. I’m still kind of processing it and just absorbing it,” he tells India Today. Widely regarded as one of his finest performances in recent years, Rampal is quick to deflect individual credit, framing his work as a product of collaboration rather than personal brilliance.
“I’m as good as my directors, I guess,” he says when asked how he is so good at being a baddie on-screen.
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Prioritising film over individual praise
He expands on that thought, underlining just how demanding the role was and how crucial the creative team proved in shaping it. “I think it’s a very challenging part, and if it wasn’t for Aditya Dhar and our DOP Vikash and Ojas, I don’t think I would have gotten there.”
That collaborative effort is evident on screen. Dhurandhar 2 builds its tension not just through narrative stakes but through visual intensity and performance detail.
For Rampal, however, the film’s overall impact matters more than individual applause.
“Well, I always believe that film works and everything works and, for me, that’s the most important thing. I think about what Dhurandar has done, and I’m just very grateful that I’ve been a part of it,” he says.
The film’s commercial trajectory reflects that sentiment. Strong openings, consistent occupancy through the extended opening weekend, and rising footfalls in key markets suggest that Dhurandhar 2 is on track to emerge as one of Bollywood’s most successful releases this year.
A gritty physical transformation
What has also caught attention is Rampal’s physical transformation. Long regarded as one of the industry’s most striking leading men, the actor leans into a far grittier, stripped-down avatar here.
When asked what it takes for an actor to embody that transformation, he mentions, “(It lies) Just in being real and being honest with your character, I guess. The way you look is the way you look. And the way you’ve got to make a character look, for it to be believable. You know, you’ve got to go through that. So that’s part of my job.”
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In Dhurandhar 2, the approach paid off.
Rampal on witnessing 26/11 horror
The actor, who was felicitated at India Today’s Hello! Hall of Fame Awards on Sunday in Mumbai, also recalled experiencing the horrors of the 26/11 attacks first-hand in his speech.
November 26 is Rampal’s birthday, and the actor said he had planned to go to the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel, Mumbai, one of the attacked locations on the fateful day, to celebrate his special day with friends.
“In 2008, during 26/11, I was in this hotel. I had come to pick up my friends. We were on our way to the Taj Hotel because we were going to go and celebrate my birthday and 26/11 also happened to be my birthday. One guy was getting ready. God bless him. We were at the bar, and we ordered a drink and the first bomb went off near Mahim. I heard that sound and the whole glass kind of shook and rattled, and we were like, ‘what the hell was that’?,” he said.
Rampal then shared how he saw the horrors of 26/11 play out that night.
More about Dhurandhar: The Revenge
Dhurandhar: The Revenge stars Ranveer Singh with Arjun Rampal, R Madhavan, Sanjay Dutt, Rakesh Bedi and Manav Gohil among others. The film has already grossed Rs 500 crore domestically while worldwide collections have inched closer to the 700-crore mark in the first 4 days.
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‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.indiatoday.in ’
