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Arjun Rampal recalls witnessing 26/11 horrors on his birthday, says Dhurandhar was his ‘revenge’
Dhurandhar portrays the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Actor Arjun Rampal, who experienced the attacks first-hand, described working on the film as personal revenge.
Filmmaker Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar, which released in December last year, depicted the harrowing night of the 2008 Mumbai attacks, leaving audiences shaken. During his recent appearance at the HELLO! Hall of Fame Awards, Arjun Rampal recalled witnessing the horrors of the attacks first-hand and revealed how working on Dhurandhar felt like a form of personal revenge.
Arjun Rampal recalls experiencing the horrors of 26/11 terror attack
Arjun shared that in 2008, during the attacks, he was at a hotel to pick up his friends. He revealed that they were on their way to the Taj Hotel to celebrate his birthday when the first explosion occurred near Mahim.
Recalling the moment, the actor said, “I heard that sound and the whole glass kind of shook and rattled, and we were like, ‘What the hell was that?’ Within 10 minutes, our phones started ringing and everyone said there was some gang war that had broken out in Colaba. In 20–30 minutes, the entire Four Seasons hotel was cordoned off. Adarsh Jatia very graciously gave me a suite and said, ‘You can stay here for the night, but we can’t let anybody go out, it’s not safe.’”
He added, “On my birthday, I saw the horrors of 26/11 play out. In the morning, when I drove back home, I had to stop at least three times because I felt like I was going to be sick. When Aditya Dhar narrated the 26/11 sequence to me, I knew I was going to have my revenge — and that’s what I did with Dhurandhar. All I want to say is, Bharat Mata Ki Jai.”
In Dhurandhar, Arjun Rampal essayed the role of ISI Major Iqbal, one of the key handlers behind the attack. His character is shown celebrating and partying while being in live contact with the terrorists at the hotel. In the sequel, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, Ranveer Singh’s character Hamza takes his revenge and kills Iqbal after a brutal confrontation. The film also features Rakesh Bedi, Sanjay Dutt, Sara Arjun and R Madhavan among others in key roles.
About Dhurandhar: The Revenge’s success
The first instalment of Aditya Dhar’s film collected ₹1,300 crore worldwide at the box office. Following its massive success, fans eagerly awaited Dhurandhar: The Revenge, which opened to positive reviews and a bumper start, collecting ₹145 crore on its first day. In just four days, the film has reportedly crossed ₹450 crore at the domestic box office and ₹750 crore worldwide. The film continues to enjoy a strong run in theatres.
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