There has been a lot of buzz recently about whether Nagarjuna was the first choice to play Rehman Dakait in Dhurandhar. The powerful role was eventually played by Akshaye Khanna, who received huge appreciation for his performance. Some reports claimed that Nagarjuna had turned down the role before it went to Akshaye. However, the actor has now reacted and cleared the confusion.

During a recent interview with Bollywood Hungama, Nagarjuna denied the rumours. He clearly said that he was never offered the role in the first place. In fact, he added that he wished he had been offered the character of Rehman Dakait.

He praised the film and called it “superb.” Nagarjuna also appreciated director Aditya Dhar for his incredible work. He mentioned that he loved Aditya’s earlier film Uri: The Surgical Strike as well. Talking about Akshaye Khanna, Nagarjuna said he was terrific in the film and that he is looking forward to the sequel.

Akshaye Khanna’s portrayal of the dangerous Pakistani gangster Rehman Dakait became one of the most talked-about performances of the year. Many viewers felt that he stole the show with his intense acting. His stylish and dramatic entry scene in the film even went viral on social media.The film also features actors like Ranveer Singh, Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan and Arjun Rampal in important roles.

Dhurandhar was released in theatres on December 5 last year and turned out to be a massive blockbuster. The film is set in Lyari town of Karachi and focuses on secret intelligence missions during major terror-related events like the Kandahar plane hijack, the 2001 Parliament attack, and the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

The film reportedly earned around ₹1300 crore worldwide, including over ₹800 crore in India, making it one of the highest-grossing Hindi films ever.The sequel, titled Dhurandhar: The Revenge, is scheduled to release on March 19. It will clash at the box office with Toxic: A Fairytale for Grown-Ups, starring Yash and directed by Geethu Mohandas.

Meanwhile, Nagarjuna is busy shooting for his 100th film. He said that the team is not rushing the project because they want it to be very special. He also mentioned that after films like Dhurandhar, audiences now expect international-level storytelling.

With the rumours now cleared, it is safe to say that Nagarjuna has shown nothing but appreciation for the film and its team.