Ashwin Dhar on Arshad Pappu’s viral ‘football’ scene in Dhurandhar: ‘Nobody in my family…’ | Exclusive

The world of Dhurandhar: The Revenge has drawn attention for its raw, layered storytelling, and actor Ashwin Dhar, who plays Arshad Pappu, finds himself at the centre of that conversation. In an exclusive chat with India TV, he spoke about how he landed the role, the thought behind key scenes, especially the brutal ‘football’ scene, Aditya Dhar’s vision and the reality that shapes the film’s narrative.

Ashwin Dhar on how he was cast to play Arshad Pappu in Dhurandhar

(Please note: The interview was conducted in a mix of Hindi and English; the Hindi portions have been translated into English to maintain narrative consistency.)

From the outside, Dhurandhar may look like a straightforward casting decision. But as Ashwin Dhar explains, the process was far more detailed, with a strong focus on authenticity and resemblance. “You must know the casting director, Mukesh Chhabra. So basically, all the characters in this film were real-life characters. Later, it was understood that Aditya Dhar had decided that all the characters should be almost similar-looking,” Ashwin on how he was selected to play Arshad Pappu.

“A lot of effort went into finding each character. Not just similarity, but they also needed proper actors. So it was a big task. Hats-off to Mukesh. He searched everywhere and managed to find people who matched the characters. In my case too, since I had worked with him earlier, he knew me. But he felt that Arshad Pappu had a strong resemblance with me, personality-wise and face-wise. After that, he showed it to Aditya Dhar, and he also felt it was right, and that’s how I got selected,” he added, and continued, “Everything was looked at in great detail. Every character had to be matched closely. So once the similarity was seen, there was a screen test to check how the actor would look in costumes, how he would perform, all of that. Only after that were all the characters finalised.”

Arshad Pappu entry scene explained: Mindset and prep

For Ashwin Dhar, the process was less about chance and more about precision. Every step was measured, and every decision had to align with the real-life inspiration behind the characters. “It’s very interesting actually. Basically, from Day 1, I knew that this scene is where he will come out of his den. When he comes out and learns that Rehman Dakait is dead, that Rehman was killed through him, that he himself got it done, and now he has become the king. Because his aim was always to become the king of Lyari. So now he has become the king, and he comes out with that mindset.”

The actor said, “He knows that the entire Lyari is waiting for him, that a new king has arrived. So as a character, as an actor, it was that moment when you are facing thousands of people waiting outside for you. A gangster who has now become a king is stepping out. So you have to psyche yourself to get into that character, to feel how that gangster must have felt.” He continued, “For the first time, he has stepped out as the king. But Aditya [Dhar] had absolute clarity in his mind. He explained to me exactly how it had to be done, and I followed that. When I saw it [the scene] for the first time, even I was surprised. I was like ‘Wow, what a scene!’. Not because I was in it, but because of the entire scene [and how it was conducted].”

The real story behind Arshad Pappu and Rehman Dakait’s rivalry

Ashwin Dhar then went on to reveal the real story behind Arshad Pappu and Rehman Dakait’s rivalry. He said, “Basically, the real story around Rehman Dakait is that there are only two major gangs in Lyari who have a rivalry. We are talking about the real story right now. And in this, it is between Rehman Dakait and Arshad Pappu. In the film, there is a narrative, you cannot show everything. I would say you can make a separate film just on Arshad Pappu.”

The actor also said, “There is so much material. Their rivalry with Rehman Dakait was intense. Rehman’s father was killed by them, and the way it was done, I cannot even describe. There were brutal killings. His relatives, maybe his son, I don’t remember exactly, but his close family members were brutally killed by Arshad Pappu. That kind of rivalry existed between them. Finally, Rehman Dakait was left, and he too was killed, not directly but through others. And the revenge for that brutality was also equally brutal. That is the truth. Everything is true.”

Watch Ashwin Dhar’s exclusive interview with India TV here:

Did Dhurandhar: The Revenge show enough of Arshad Pappu’s rise?

While the film presents a structured narrative, Ashwin Dhar pointed out that the real-life story carries far more detail and intensity than what can be fully captured on screen. “A spin-off can be made; there is so much material. But when a director makes a film, he has a vision. He cannot incorporate everything. He has to see the flow of the film.”

“In that flow, when Arshad Pappu becomes the king of Lyari, it creates a lot of chaos among rival gangs and politicians. Everyone starts reacting, saying now he has become the king, now there will be destruction. What have we done by removing one and bringing in another? So they all plan to kill him.”

“So they decide he has to be removed. The film does show what is necessary. It shows that once he becomes king, the plan is to destroy Lyari itself. If you remember, Hamza says that the first break Lyari. That is shown in the film. I was not present there as a character, but Lyari is attacked from all sides. There is bloodshed, destruction. There is actually quite a gap between him becoming king and then getting killed. There is a lot of story in between, but it is not necessary to show everything because the film is about something else. Whatever Aditya has shown is impactful enough.” He underlined the balance between storytelling and realism, pointing out that not every detail needs to be shown for the impact to land.

Ashwin Dhar on the viral ‘football’ scene, family’s reaction to it and how it was shot

Going back in history, the ‘football scene’ is real; however, it is also one of the most brutal segments of Dhurandhar: The Revenge. Starring Ashwin Dhar as the central character of the scene, we asked him if his family could watch it. “They couldn’t watch it. They closed their eyes when that scene came. All my friends, family, and relatives talked about it. But these things do happen. Even normal people know it is true. It is rare, but it is reality. It has happened and is there on social media. But it is very brutal. A normal, weak-hearted person cannot watch it. It has been shown correctly [in the film],” said Ashwin.

When asked about how such gore and brutal scenes are shot, Ashwin Dhar told us, “It is all planned. Everything is very safe. Nothing actually happens. There is a full crew present. Such scenes are done very carefully and with a lot of sensitivity. All departments are there to ensure safety, so that no accident happens. That small scene took two days to shoot. It is always done very carefully and with precision.”

Dhurandhar: The Revenge was released on March 19. The film has now crossed Rs 1000 crore nett in India. 

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