Cast of Dhurandhar: Actors, Roles & Real-Life Basis

Dhurandhar maps fictional names onto real operatives, gangsters, and intelligence figures from India and Pakistan — and social media has been racing to make the connections. The film drops in theaters December 5, 2025, starring Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna in roles that fans say mirror documented covert operations.

Lead Actor: Ranveer Singh ·
Director: Aditya Dhar ·
Key Cast Members: Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal ·
Release Year: 2025 ·
Sequel: Dhurandhar: The Revenge (2026)

The key facts table below summarizes the film’s confirmed cast and production details.

Who is Dhurandhar based on?

Dhurandhar wears its inspirations on its sleeve. The film draws from real operations and figures spanning decades of India-Pakistan tension — from Lyari gang wars to airline hijackings to covert intelligence operations.

The trailer dropped on November 18, 2025, and immediately triggered online detective work. Fans began matching fictional character names to real people, creating maps that circulated across social media (Times of India).

Real life inspiration Ravindra Kaushik

Some fans initially speculated that Dhurandhar’s lead spy draws from Ravindra Kaushik, the legendary Indian spy who operated as “Black Tiger” inside Pakistan’s intelligence apparatus. However, according to Times of India reporting, the character Ranveer Singh plays is most commonly linked to Major Mohit Sharma — an Ashok Chakra awardee who infiltrated Hizbul Mujahideen as “Iftikhar Bhat” and was killed in Kupwara.

Major Mohit Sharma’s story bears the hallmarks audiences expect from a spy thriller: deep cover, lethal consequences, and a posthumous distinction that rarely reaches civilian attention. The 1999 Kargil War context threads through the film’s narrative.

Rehman Dakait, the real Lyari gangster Akshaye Khanna reportedly portrays, is known as the “Robin Hood of Lyari” — a distinction that complicates the film’s moral calculus (Mid-Day).

Black Tiger spy story

The Black Tiger reference persists in fan discussions. Whether the filmmakers drew directly from Ravindra Kaushik’s documented operations or composite-crafted a character remains officially unstated. What is clear is that Dhurandhar channels the spirit of Indian covert work — the kind that rarely makes headlines until someone pays the price.

Who will be the actors in Dhurandhar 2?

Dhurandhar: The Revenge is confirmed for 2026, but casting details remain under wraps. The sequel will presumably continue the saga of cross-border intelligence and gangster operations — and fans are already speculating about who returns and who joins.

The confirmed main cast from Dhurandhar includes Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, and Arjun Rampal (Dailyhunt/Radio City). Whether this ensemble carries over intact is unknown.

Confirmed cast from IMDb

IMDb and multiple Indian entertainment portals list Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, R. Madhavan, and Arjun Rampal as the core ensemble. Supporting names include Rakesh Bedi, Gaurav Gera, and Sara Arjun.

Social media nicknames also surfaced during the film’s marketing run: Ranveer Singh was tagged “Wrath of God,” R. Madhavan “Charioteer of Karma,” Arjun Rampal “Angel of Death,” and Akshaye Khanna “Apex Predator” (Times of India).

Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt

These three anchor the first film’s ensemble. Ranveer carries the spy narrative as Hamza Ali Mazari/Jaskirat Singh. Akshaye Khanna’s Rehman Dakait brings the gangster angle from Karachi’s Lyari district. Sanjay Dutt plays SP Chaudhary Aslam, based on the real Pakistani encounter specialist Chaudhry Aslam, who led the Lyari Task Force before dying in a bomb blast in January 2014 (Times of India).

Whose role is Ranveer Singh playing in Dhurandhar?

Ranveer Singh portrays Hamza Ali Mazari, also identified as Jaskirat Singh within the film’s narrative — an Indian intelligence operative embedded deep in Pakistan. Social media chatter pegs this character to Major Mohit Sharma, the Ashok Chakra awardee who penetrated Hizbul Mujahideen under the alias “Iftikhar Bhat.”

The Times of India notes fans have widely accepted this mapping, though the connection remains speculative — the filmmakers have not issued confirmations. Major Mohit Sharma’s credentials are documented: he operated inside the terrorist organization for an extended period before his death in Kupwara.

Hamza Ali Mazari character

Hamza Ali Mazari represents the film’s moral center — the operative who must navigate loyalties, violence, and the cost of sustained cover. The character carries the weight of double identity: one name in Pakistan, another in India.

Ranveer Singh’s physical transformation for the role drew attention during the film’s marketing campaign. The “Wrath of God” nickname circulating on social media hints at the character’s lethality and the stakes he carries.

Jaskirat Singh role

Jaskirat Singh appears to be a secondary identity or backstory element — possibly reflecting how deep-cover operatives accumulate multiple names. The film’s structure uses these identities to layer the spy narrative, making it harder for casual viewers to track who is who.

Who is the main villain in Dhurandhar 2?

The sequel’s antagonist roster has not been disclosed. Dhurandhar establishes multiple antagonist threads — Pakistani gangsters, intelligence operatives, and historical figures like Dawood Ibrahim — but Dhurandhar: The Revenge will likely introduce new threats or elevate secondary villains.

The first film’s confirmed villains include Danish Iqbal as Dawood Ibrahim and Danish Pandor as Uzair Baloch. These figures carry genuine criminal notoriety, but their roles in a sequel remain unannounced.

New villain details

If the sequel follows its predecessor’s pattern, expect fictionalized versions of real operatives or crime figures — potentially someone with geopolitical weight. The 2026 release window gives filmmakers time to assess audience reception and adjust the antagonist lineup.

Casting rumors

No credible casting rumors for Dhurandhar 2 had surfaced as of this writing. The franchise’s track record suggests high-profile names will feature — Ranveer Singh’s involvement practically guarantees marquee co-stars — but specific villain casting remains speculation territory.

Who played the role of Dawood Ibrahim in Dhurandhar?

Danish Iqbal portrays Dawood Ibrahim — called “Bade Sahab” in the film — the founder of D-Company, which rose from Mumbai’s underworld in the 1970s to become one of the world’s most notorious criminal enterprises.

Mid-Day confirms Danish Iqbal’s casting in the Dawood Ibrahim role (Mid-Day). The D-Company’s documented operations — narcotics, extortion, international smuggling — provide rich material for a film rooted in South Asian crime and intelligence intersections.

Actor for Dawood

Danish Iqbal brings the notorious crime lord to the screen. The character appears in Dhurandhar as a figure whose shadow hangs over both Indian and Pakistani operations — a reminder that organized crime rarely respects borders.

Dawood Ibrahim’s D-Company shaped Mumbai’s underworld landscape for decades. The film’s decision to include this character — even briefly — signals ambitions to cover multiple dimensions of regional crime and intelligence.

Other villain roles like Atif Ahmed

Salim Sidiqui reportedly plays Atif Ahmed, inspired by Atiq Ahmed — the Indian gangster who later became a politician. Mid-Day notes this inspiration (Mid-Day). This casting adds another dimension to the film’s cross-border scope, mixing Pakistani crime figures with Indian gangsters-turned-politicians.

Rehman Dakait claims to “kill like a kasai” (a butcher) — a threat that echoes the gangster’s brutal reputation in Lyari.

The film layers historical references throughout. Arjun Rampal’s Major Iqbal reportedly delivers dialogue referencing Zia-ul-Haq’s “bleed India with a thousand cuts” policy — a documented Pakistan military doctrine from earlier decades. These touches anchor fictional characters to documented realities.

R. Madhavan’s Ajay Sanyal, depicted as a top R&AW officer, reportedly channels the persona of Ajit Doval — India’s current National Security Advisor and former Intelligence Bureau director. If true, the character draws from one of India’s most decorated intelligence operatives. Whether the filmmakers intended this connection remains officially unstated.

Related reading

• Times of India — Real vs. reel: Netizens guess who plays whom in Dhurandhar
• Mid-Day — Dhurandhar casting explained: Who plays which real-life character
• Dailyhunt/Radio City — Dhurandhar cast recap

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The star-studded cast of Dhurandhar sets the stage for its sequel, with March 19, 2026 release fueling anticipation among fans of the spy thriller saga.

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