In 2018, Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh won hearts with his performance as Khilji in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Padmaavat. Now, in 2026, he has once again impressed audiences with his portrayal of Hamza in Dhurandhar: The Revenge, directed by Aditya Dhar. In a recent podcast with MensXP, the actor’s business partner Nikunj Biyani recalled a conversation with Ranveer, revealing how playing Hamza was even more challenging than portraying Khilji.
Ranveer Singh found Hamza more challenging than Khilji
In the interview, while praising Ranveer Singh’s performance in Dhurandhar, Nikunj shared, “I saw Dhurandhar on the first day, first show for both the films. I loved it. Dhurandhar 2: The Revenge, for me, was the best film of all time. I enjoyed part one as well, but part two was something else. I didn’t want to get out of my seat even to pee. I was like, I won’t even blink—just look at him, it’s insane.”
He further recalled a conversation with Ranveer about the demands of the role and said, “We were chatting with him once, and we asked him if he would do something as demanding as Khilji. He said, ‘This character (Hamza) has been way more challenging for me as an artist; it has taken so much more out of me. I had to go deep and give it 300 per cent; it has been very demanding.’ And when you see it, you’re like, what was this? He has proven he’s the GOAT. It’s a fact, he is insane.”
When Ranveer played Khilji in Padmaavat, he had revealed that he isolated himself for 21 days and went to a dark place mentally to fully immerse himself in the character. The film went on to become a massive box office success, collecting ₹585 crore worldwide, while his performance received widespread acclaim from both audiences and critics.
About Dhurandhar
The two-part film, helmed by Aditya Dhar, quickly became the talk of the town. The spy thriller follows the story of Hamza, an Indian agent who infiltrates the underworld in Pakistan’s Lyari, gradually rising through the country’s political structure to dismantle terror networks targeting India.
As a franchise, Dhurandhar has crossed over ₹3,000 crore worldwide at the box office. The first instalment, released in December 2025, emerged as an all-time blockbuster with collections of ₹1,300 crore globally. The second part proved to be an even bigger success, earning over ₹1,700 crore worldwide and surpassing the ₹1,000 crore mark in India, becoming the first Bollywood film to achieve this milestone. While the film’s frenzy has slowed slightly, it continues to perform strongly.