Exclusive | ‘Akshaye Khanna was never out of the game’: Dhurandhar co-star Rakesh Bedi

ACtor Rakesh Bedi's eccentric of Jameel Jamali in theatre director Aditya Dhar's Dhurandhar is face of the earth loved by audiences for its subtlety and the veteran soldier actor is elated with it, sharing how people from “all over the world are reaching out and congratulating” him. Reflecting on the success of the film, and especially that of his co-star Akshaye Khanna who plays the role of Rehman Dakait, Rakesh says phenomenal performances such as these are once-in-a-lifetime occurrences.However, he doesn't fully agree to the notion that Akshaye has come back in the game of showbiz with this film as per the public perception, asserting that he was always an integral part of showbiz.Rakesh and Akshaye shared several scenes in the film and some in-depth intellectual conversations off-screen during the shoot. Talking about the limelight suddenly shining on his co-star, Rakesh says, “Akshaye was always in the game. He never left it. Uski and humari films lagti rehti hai, koi kam chalti hai, koi zyada chalti hai but it doesn't mean he was out of the industry.”Also Read | ₹800 crore at Indian box office, to beat Pushpa 2 record">Ranveer Singh's Dhurandhar becomes 1st Bollywood film to cross ₹800 crore at Indian box office, to beat Pushpa 2 recordDhurandhar is still running in theatres and has crossed ₹1186 crore worldwide, making it one of the most successful box office phenomenon in recent times. Rakesh believes that in current times the 100 crore mark is very exciting for everyone but actors don't get this kind of love with every film. He also gives the example of Baahubali and what it did for its lead actor Prabhas. “Ye once in a lifetime hai success hai. Abhi aap dekhiye, jaise Baahubali thi. Bohot koshish ki lekin Prabhas ke liye to same dubara repeat nahi hua.”"Every actor-director waits for this kind of a wave in their career and sometimes many people don't get it ever. You cannot label this success. For example, you cannot categorise the success of Hollywood film Godfather," says Rakesh, who will soon be performing in Delhi and Gurgaon with his next theatre play - Massage.Talking about his character of a conniving Pakistani politician, he says, “I studied some Pakistani politicians and then I made my own draft on how I will be handling this character. That's how I did it and then Aditya and I came on a common page on how we will carry it.”While Rakesh, who plays Ranveer Singh's onscreen father-in-law, stays tightlipped about what the second part of the film will have, he does hint at ever bigger twists and turns as his character's political destiny now rests in hands of Ranveer's character. When probed further, he laughs and says, "Aage ki story kya hai wo to main bilkul nahi bataunga!"Dhurandhar's second part is scheduled to release on March 19.