Saumya Tandon admits she missed Akshaye Khanna in Dhurandhar 2: ‘He was so good’

Talking about her role in Dhurandhar, Saumya Tandon mentioned that there were scenes where everything had to be expressed through eyes.

Actor Saumya Tandon returns to the gritty Dhurandhar universe in Aditya Dhar’s much-anticipated sequel, but the journey hasn’t been without its emotional gaps. The actor, who reprises her role in the franchise, admits she deeply missed sharing screen space with her on-screen husband, played by Akshaye Khanna, while filming the second instalment.

In Dhurandhar, Saumya is seen in the character of Ulfat, the wife of Rehman Dakait (Akshaye Khanna).

Saumya Tandon on Dhurandhar 2

In an interview with Variety India, Saumya opened up about her short role in Dhurandhar 2, which has been helmed by Aditya Dhar.

Talking about the role, she said, “I actually do not have much to do in Dhurandhar 2. There is a scene of mine that has gone viral, but I wouldn't like to speak about it because I think I'd like them to see the movie first. I would say that it's a very intense scene, and it is basically at Rehman Dakait’s maiyyat (funeral). It's a very complicated scene because she's again very angry, and also she's kind of in a situation where she's questioning. And she's desperate. I would just say that in this particular project, Dhurandhar, there were very many scenes where everything had to be expressed with your eyes.”

Saumya has revealed that the most challenging aspect of working on the Dhurandhar films was stepping into the emotional depth of her character, Ulfath Rehman. She was seen in the role of the wife of Rehman Dakait, played by Akshaye Khanna. Here, Saumya also shared that she deeply missed her co-star during the making of the second instalment, calling his absence one of the toughest parts of the experience.

“Of course, as a viewer, I missed him a lot. He was so good in the first film. But then this is a story, and it progresses after his death,” she said. She hopes the film will promote more good content in India.

About Dhurandhar 2

Dhurandhar was set in Lyari, a suburb of Karachi known for its history of gang wars and violent turf battles. It revolved around covert intelligence operations in the background of geopolitical and terror events like the Kandahar plane hijack, the 2001 Parliament Attack and the 26/11 Mumbai attacks.

The sequel, titled Dhurandhar: The Revenge, charts the rise of Ranveer Singh's character, Hamza Ali Mazari, in the Karachi underworld, while also delving into his origins as Jaskirat Singh Rangi, tracing the young man's journey to becoming a covert operative. The film also shows the aftermath in Lyrai after the death of gangster Rehman Dakait.

It also stars R Madhavan, Arjun Rampal, Sanjay Dutt, Rakesh Bedi, Sara Arjun, and Arjun Rampal. Released on March 19, the film minted ₹454 crore net in its opening weekend in India.