Mukesh Chhabra, the casting director, is credited by Aditya Dhar for seeing the potential of Dhurandhar early on, carefully breaking down characters, and assembling the ideal cast.
Aditya Dhar Thanks 6 People Behind Dhurandhar And Dhurandhar 2 Success
Aditya Dhar shares heartfelt notes for his Dhurandhar crew, appreciating their hard work behind the camera.

- Musical collaboration with Shashwat Singh and casting by Mukesh Chhabra acknowledged.
There are many people behind the success of a film. While some names shine and are seen, some remain behind the curtains, and those names deserve the same recognition as the ones on camera. To applaud the team behind the scenes, Aditya Dhar took to his Instagram and praised his entire team for the success of his film Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar: The Revenge, popularly called Dhurandhar 2.
Behind The Lens
“There are many who shoot films. Vikash lived this one,” wrote Aditya Dhar for his cinematographer Vikash Nowlakha. He mentioned how Vikash was the last one to come on board and shared his gratitude, respect, and admiration for his work.
“I’ve waited 30 years to do a film like this. I’ll give my life to it,” said Vikash, as recalled by Aditya in his post. Dhar also highlighted how specific, steady, detailed, emotionally intelligent, and understanding Vikash is in his craft, and how he handled impossible schedules. “What followed was not just work, it was devotion,” he added.
Here’s to Vikash Nowlakha, the eye, the instinct, and the soul behind Dhurandhar.
— Aditya Dhar (@AdityaDharFilms) April 5, 2026
He was the last HOD to come on board Dhurandhar. Just a few days before we began. And knowing how deeply selective he is, that timing meant everything.
It felt less like onboarding a… pic.twitter.com/IFDk7jH06p
Master Of The Final Cut
“He is not just my editor. He is my closest friend, my brother, my confidant, the kind of person whose loyalty is so absolute, it humbles you,” shared Aditya about Shivkumar Panicker, the editor of Dhurandhar.
He described Shiv as hardworking, sharp, smart, and quick, adding that his understanding of rhythm, emotion, and storytelling is extremely accurate. “He doesn’t just edit a film, he breathes life into it.”
Here’s to Shivkumar Panicker
— Aditya Dhar (@AdityaDharFilms) April 6, 2026
Some relationships in filmmaking aren’t built on a single film, they’re built over years of trust, instinct, and standing by each other when it matters the most. Shiv has been that for me and much more.
He is not just my editor. He is my closest… pic.twitter.com/smOGJfV4zh
Monica O My Darling
“Some collaborations go beyond work, they become deeply personal,” Dhar noted while speaking about his musical collaboration with Shashwat Singh (music composer), whom he lovingly calls Sha. He underlined the importance of music, especially BGM, in creating an immersive cinematic experience.
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“For almost 15 days, my house stopped being a house. It became a living, breathing studio,” he shared.
Here’s to Shashwat Sachdev.
— Aditya Dhar (@AdityaDharFilms) April 7, 2026
Some collaborations go beyond work, they become deeply personal.⁰Sha has been that for me.
Not just the music composer of Dhurandhar but someone I see as a younger brother, someone I’ve shared chaos, silence, ideas and some of the most intense… pic.twitter.com/EJ8O0LH2cY
Casting
“Here’s to Mukesh Chhabra, the man who saw Dhurandhar long before I truly did.” Aditya acknowledged the casting director’s contribution. He explained how Mukesh carefully broke down each character in detail and gave him the ideal cast. He also added that Mukesh was fearless and pushed him to think bigger.
Here’s to Mukesh Chhabra, the man who saw Dhurandhar long before I truly did.
— Aditya Dhar (@AdityaDharFilms) April 8, 2026
There are people who come into a film and do their job and then there are people who quietly reshape the film itself. Mukesh was the latter.
From the very first narration, he believed in the scale, the… pic.twitter.com/UVNGbyaYA3
Face Behind Transformation
“Preetisheel, my Sardarni sister from Pathankot. Mera Sher,” wrote Aditya for the look designer of Dhurandhar. “What I found in Preeti was not just an artist of extraordinary ability, but a deeply warm, grounded, and fiercely loving human being.”
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Aditya further revealed how Preeti and her team handled the look and prosthetics of extremely complex characters like Nawab Shafiq and Bade Saab with ease.
Here’s to Preetisheel, my Sardarni sister from Pathankot.⁰Mera Sher.😁
— Aditya Dhar (@AdityaDharFilms) April 9, 2026
When I first heard her name, I’ll be honest, I was hesitant. There were all these opinions floating around, “she’s arrogant,” “she’s too expensive,” “she only does prestige projects.” And then I met her. In… pic.twitter.com/vke1cp9khQ
Stitching Stories
“Who stitches 10,000 costumes for a film and nearly 1,000 Pathanis in just the first 30 days?” Aditya said while talking about Smriti Chauhan, the costume designer of Dhurandhar.
He added, “What you created wasn’t just costumes. You built a whole world, a language, an identity that lives and breathes in every frame of Dhurandhar.” Through his words, Aditya praised her work, calling it detailed, powerful, and truly remarkable in how it shaped the film’s look and feel.
Dearest Smriti
— Aditya Dhar (@AdityaDharFilms) April 10, 2026
I still remember one of our very first conversations, when we spoke about how Jaskirat starts with a hint of colour and how, by the end, Hamza is almost swallowed by black.
How, somewhere along the way, the colour quietly leaves his life without drawing attention… pic.twitter.com/vJEa24o7MC



























