Dhurandhar Was My Revenge To 26/11: Arjun Rampal
Actor Arjun Rampal revealed that Dhurandhar was his way of channelizing his angst and taking his "revenge" for everything that he had to endure during the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks.
Actor Arjun Rampal has received nothing but praise and love from both audiences and critics for his role as the main antagonist in the Dhurandhar film duology. In both ‘Dhurandhar’ and ‘Dhurandhar: The Revenge’, the terrorist attacks of 26/11 were showcased and mentioned several times. In the first film, ‘Dhurandhar’, the attacks of 26/11 were shown from the perspective of the terrorists behind the call recordings. It was considered a memorable and haunting scene that stayed with the audience.
In the film, Rampal plays ISI Major Iqbal. In a key scene in the first part, Iqbal, portrayed as one of the main handlers behind the attack, is seen celebrating, dancing, and partying while speaking to the terrorists at the hotel.
Actor Arjun Rampal recently said Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar helped him channel his "revenge" for what he endured during the 2008 Mumbai attacks. The actor was felicitated at India Today's Hello! Hall of Fame Awards on Sunday in Mumbai. During his speech, he recalled experiencing the horrors of the attacks first-hand and how that trauma helped him perform a key 26/11 scene in the film.
He said he had planned to go to the Taj Hotel, one of the attacked locations, to celebrate his birthday with friends. The actor said, "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?"
Rampal said he was initially told it was the result of a gang war. He added, "In 10 minutes, our phones were ringing and everybody said there was some gang war that had broken out in Colaba. In 20-30 minutes, the whole of Four Seasons (hotel) was cordoned off. Adarsh Jatia (Managing Director, Provenance Land, owner of Four Seasons Hotel) very gracefully gave me a suite and said, 'You could stay here for the night, but we can't let anybody go out, it's not safe. And on my birthday, I saw the horrors of 26/11 play out."
The actor further stated that the ‘Dhurandhar’ film franchise was a way to seek revenge against those who committed the attack. He said Dhurandhar became his "revenge" for what he had experienced that day. He said, "In the morning, when I drove back home, I had to stop at least three times because I thought I was going to be sick. When Aditya Dhar narrated to me the 26/11 scene, I knew I was going to have my revenge, and that's what I did with Dhurandhar. And all I want to say is Bharat Mata Ki Jai."
The second part, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, is currently enjoying a strong run at the box office. The film is written, directed, and produced by Aditya Dhar. Arjun Rampal portrays a terrifying and compelling antagonist and delivers one of his career’s best performances as ‘Major Iqbal.’
This article is written by Satvik AVP, an intern with Deccan Chronicle.
