Actor Arjun Rampal, who portrays the menacing ISI officer Major Iqbal in the hit spy thriller Dhurandhar, has revealed the intense emotional toll of shooting the film’s highly impactful scene centered around the 2008 26/11 Mumbai terrorist attacks.
In the scene, Rampal’s character, Major Iqbal, along with Akshaye Khanna’s character Rehman Dakait, and others, are seen celebrating the terrorist attacks while Ranveer Singh’s deep-undercover Indian operative, Hamza Ali Mazari, watches shell-shocked.
Actor’s Emotional Response
After Arjun Rampal penned a long note on Instagram praising the cast and crew, a fan commented specifically on the 26/11 scene’s impact:
“The 26/11 scene was very impactful, as an audience, we felt Hamza’s character, which Ranveer Singh portrayed, painfully amazing, but as an Indian, how did you and the other star cast feel while acting as your character and after the scene was cut?”
Arjun Rampal responded simply and powerfully, calling it the “Most difficult scene of my life.” Another fan noted that the scene silenced the entire theater, with one audience member having “a tear and felt helpless.”
Arjun Rampal Praises Ranveer Singh
In his detailed Instagram post, Arjun Rampal reserved special praise for his co-star, Ranveer Singh, who plays the central character Hamza Ali Mazari (later revealed to be Jaskirat Singh Rangi):
- Focus and Determination: Rampal referred to Ranveer as “the beast, the wrath of God” and noted that it was a “beautiful journey to watch your focus, determination, mad methods, and to stay in character.”
- Fearless Performance: He added that Ranveer was “unabashed, fearless and endearing” in his portrayal.
Dhurandhar, directed by Aditya Dhar and starring an ensemble cast including Sanjay Dutt, Akshaye Khanna, and R. Madhavan, has been a major box office success, collecting over ₹150 crore domestically.