Akshay Kumar on not being offered Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar, reveals whether he gets insecure: ‘Aditya didn’t…’

Recently, Akshay Kumar said he wasn’t offered Dhurandhar, which featured Ranveer Singh, because director Aditya Dhar hadn’t thought of him for the role.

Actor Ranveer Singh’s Dhurandhar has been the talk of the town ever since its release and impressive run at the box office. Recently, Akshay Kumar was asked whether he would have liked to be part of the Aditya Dhar directorial and if he ever feels jealous or insecure when fellow actors get such films.

Akshay Kumar recently spoke about the changing trends in Bollywood, saying the success of Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar is an example of the same.

Responding candidly, Akshay said he wasn’t offered the film because Aditya hadn’t thought of him for the role. The actor added that the situation doesn’t cause him any insecurity.

Akshay Kumar on not being approached for Dhurandhar

On Saturday, Akshay joined India Today Conclave Delhi 2026 for a session titled The Khiladi: Method Behind the Hit Machine. During the chat, the actor spoke about the success of Aditya Dhar directorial Dhurandhar, which was released on December 5 last year.

Akshay picked Dhurandhar as an example to stress how audiences have once again embraced large-scale action films.

He said, “Take Dhurandhar, for example. It’s a full-fledged action film. The whole film is about action and bloodshed. People have loved it, they have lapped it up, and really enjoyed it. And then there’s a hero like Ranveer Singh, who performs intense action scenes, a very chest-thumping, high-energy kind of action. He carries the image of a complete ‘angry young man'. So everything keeps changing… Now it’s the time for horror comedies. People really like horror comedies. Stree was a big hit. Everything keeps changing, and we never really know what audiences will like next.”

At this point, he was asked whether he would like to be part of the Lyari gang, with the interviewer noting that he would fit right into the film given its action-packed narrative. To this, Akshay responded, “I don’t think Aditya thought that, so I didn’t get it.”

When asked if he feels insecure or has any regret, Akshay shared, “Many times, when I meet Ranveer, he tells me, ‘woh kya film ki thi (it was a great film), I wish I had done it. This happens. Koi film woh karna chahta hai aur koi main (There are some films he wants to do and some that I want to do). Hum log 15-20 actors hai aur Hindustan mein 180 filmein banti hai toh sabko kaam milta hai (We are around 15–20 actors, and about 180 films are made in India, so everyone gets work). So, everyone had roles. Regret as in you feel you wish you had done this film, but jalan nahi hoti (there’s no jealousy).”

Dhurandhar tells the story of an Indian spy infiltrating Karachi’s criminal and political underworld in Pakistan. The plot weaves together several real-life events involving geopolitical tensions, such as the 1999 IC-814 hijacking, the 2001 Indian Parliament attack, the 2008 Mumbai attacks, and events surrounding Operation Lyari. Its sequel is slated for release on March 19.

What’s next for Akshay Kumar

Akshay has several interesting projects in the pipeline. The actor is currently awaiting the release of his horror-comedy Bhoot Bangla. The film marks his reunion with Priyadarshan and Paresh Rawal. It also stars Wamiqa Gabbi and Tabu in key roles and is scheduled to release in cinemas on April 10.

He also has Welcome to the Jungle in the pipeline. Helmed by Ahmed Khan, the film stars Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi, Suniel Shetty, Raveena Tandon, Lara Dutta and Disha Patani, among others, in key roles. The film is scheduled to release in cinemas on June 26. Akshay will also be seen in Priyadarshan’s Haiwaan, which has completed shooting. The release date of the film is yet to be announced. He has also joined Rohit Shetty's Golmaal franchise. On Saturday, it was announced that Akshay will be joining Ajay Devgn and Sharman Joshi in Golmaal 5.