{"id":2354048,"date":"2026-04-01T10:42:15","date_gmt":"2026-04-01T10:42:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/?p=2354048"},"modified":"2026-04-01T10:42:15","modified_gmt":"2026-04-01T10:42:15","slug":"dhurandhar-2-ahida-sarmais-small-role-as-major-iqbals-daughter-adds-big-emotion","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/dhurandhar-2-ahida-sarmais-small-role-as-major-iqbals-daughter-adds-big-emotion\/","title":{"rendered":"Dhurandhar 2: Ahida Sarmai\u2019s small role as Major Iqbal&#8217;s daughter adds big emotion"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>In Dhurandhar: The Revenge, where violence, politics and intense drama dominate the screen, you don\u2019t expect a quiet moment to stand out \u2013 but it does. A simple scene featuring young Ahida Sarmai brings a soft, emotional touch to the story. It\u2019s short, but it stays with you, reminding you that even small moments can make a big impact.<\/p>\n<p>Read Full Story<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color:#c0392b;\">A small moment, a big emotional impact<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>There\u2019s a simple scene in the film that says a lot without trying too hard. When<strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.indiatoday.in\/movies\/bollywood\/story\/dhurandhar-afterthought-why-isnt-there-a-great-villains-role-for-arjun-rampal-2864834-2026-02-08?utm_source=global-search&amp;utm_medium=global-search&amp;utm_campaign=global-search\" target=\"_blank\"> Major Iqbal, played by Arjun Rampal<\/a><\/strong>, walks into his home, the mood instantly softens. His daughter, played by Ahida, is busy painting a family portrait. He sits beside her, admires her work, and shares a tender moment before asking his wife to take her inside.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s a short scene, but it does something powerful \u2013 it shows a different side of a brutal man otherwise defined by conflict and duty. In that one interaction, the film lets us see Major Iqbal not just as an ISI Major, but as a father.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color:#c0392b;\">Humanising the antagonist<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Characters in high-stakes political dramas \u2013 especially antagonists \u2013 often feel distant or larger than life. But Ahida\u2019s presence changes that dynamic for Major Iqbal. Through her, the audience connects with Major Iqbal on a personal level. His vulnerabilities, his love, and his quieter emotions come to the forefront.<\/p>\n<p>This emotional layer adds depth to the narrative. It reminds viewers that behind every uniform is a person with a family, responsibilities, and emotional ties. And in a film filled with tension, this balance works beautifully.<\/p>\n<p><iframe height=\"500\" title=\"\" width=\"648\" layout=\"fixed\" sandbox=\"allow-scripts allow-same-origin allow-popups allow-top-navigation allow-top-navigation-by-user-activation\" allowfullscreen=\"\" scrolling=\"no\" src=\"https:\/\/embed.indiatoday.in\/share\/video\/embed\/31402?native=1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"custom-video-iframe-cls multy-video-iframe-vertical\"> <\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color:#c0392b;\">Representation that feels real, not forced<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Ahida Sarmai\u2019s casting is also significant for another reason \u2013 representation. As a child with Down Syndrome, her inclusion in a mainstream Bollywood film is a step towards more inclusive storytelling.<\/p>\n<p>What works here is that her character isn\u2019t treated as a token or a statement. She simply exists within the story, naturally and meaningfully. Her role isn\u2019t about highlighting her condition \u2013 it\u2019s about showing her as part of a family, just like any child. That subtlety makes the representation feel genuine.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color:#c0392b;\">A journey backed by courage and support<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Beyond the camera, Ahida\u2019s journey is just as inspiring. With strong support from her family, she has pursued her passion for acting with confidence. Her <strong><a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.indiatoday.in\/movies\/celebrities\/story\/meet-ahida-sarmai-child-actor-who-plays-arjun-rampal-daughter-in-dhurandhar-2-2889146-2026-03-30\" target=\"_blank\">performance in Dhurandhar: The Revenge<\/a><\/strong> proves that talent and determination go far beyond limitations.<\/p>\n<p>At a special screening in Mumbai, the young actor received heartfelt appreciation from her Dhurandhar co-stars Ranveer Singh, Arjun Rampal, and Sara Arjun, apart from director Aditya Dhar. It was a moment that highlighted not just her performance, but the impact she created despite limited screen time.<\/p>\n<h3><span style=\"color:#c0392b;\">Does her role truly matter?<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>It\u2019s fair to ask \u2013 does such a brief role really make a difference? In this case, the answer is yes. Ahida\u2019s presence may not drive the plot forward, but it strengthens the emotional core of the film. She gives the audience the scope to understand an important character \u2013 Major Iqbal.<\/p>\n<p>And sometimes, that\u2019s exactly what a story needs \u2013 not more action or drama, but a moment of quiet truth.<\/p>\n<p>Ahida Sarmai\u2019s role is a reminder that even the smallest characters can have the biggest impact. And hopefully, it also opens the door for more inclusive and heartfelt storytelling in mainstream Bollywood.<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/feeds.intoday.in\/interactive\/live-assessment\/quiz\/697467645f37\/?content_id=2889994&amp;filter=content&amp;site=it&amp;page=1&amp;limit=5\" width=\"100%\" height=\"500\" class=\"stquiziframe\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>&#8211; Ends<\/p>\n<div class=\"authors__container\">\n<div class=\"authors__by\">\n<p>Published By: <\/p>\n<p>Pritinanda Behera<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"published__on\">\n<p>Published On: <\/p>\n<p>Apr 1, 2026 15:48 IST<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><em> \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n<p><em> \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.indiatoday.in \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In Dhurandhar: The Revenge, where violence, politics and intense drama dominate the screen, you don\u2019t expect a quiet moment to stand out \u2013 but it does. A simple scene featuring young Ahida Sarmai brings a soft, emotional touch to the story. It\u2019s short, but it stays with you, reminding you that even small moments can [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":2354049,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25173],"tags":[456292,456962,456963,456961,456599,456964,456965],"class_list":["post-2354048","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-artists","tag-ahida-sarmai-dhurandhar-2","tag-ahida-sarmai-dhurandhar-2-bollywood-inclusivity","tag-ahida-sarmai-dhurandhar-2-down-syndrome-representation","tag-arjun-rampal-daughter-in-dhurandhar-2","tag-arjun-rampal-dhurandhar-2","tag-dhurandhar-2-film-casting","tag-dhurandhar-2-mumbai-screening"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/Dhurandhar-2-Ahida-Sarmais-small-role-as-Major-Iqbals-daughter.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2354048","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2354048"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2354048\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2354050,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2354048\/revisions\/2354050"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2354049"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2354048"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2354048"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2354048"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}