Dhurandhar’s Bade Sahab On Playing Dawood Ibrahim

‘If you’re so sick, so ill, how will you show that power?’

Danish Iqbal hasn’t stopped greeting people with a handshake. In fact, it’s something he loves, even though it was the seemingly innocent handshake that left his most famous role — Bade Sahab in Dhurandhar: The Revenge — on his death bed.

“The handshake has become iconic, isn’t it?” he asks Ronjita Kulkarni/Rediff with a laugh.

The conversation, in fact, is sprinkled with laughs, thanks to his funny one-liners, as he looks back at the blockbuster film, which releases on OTT on May 15.

The 47-year-old actor from Allahabad has already watched the Aditya Dhar film four times, and is all set to watch it on OTT once again with the family.

But first, he relives his iconic role with us.

How much has your life changed since Dhurandhar 2?

I am still the same. But compared to earlier, the calls have increased.

Good actors, and senior actors from the industry, have appreciated my work, like Piyush Mishra, Amit Sial, Makarand Deshpande. Makarand sir, I regard him like… he is such a great actor! He is so senior to me, and if someone like Makarand is appreciating your work…

When so many people are appreciating the film, as an actor, you feel elevated. You also feel good as a colleague also because they know you, the hard work you have put in, and your process.

‘Maybe there will come a time when I won’t need to audition, but Dilli abhi door hai’

Do you still have to audition for a role?

I have been auditioning since I started acting. But for Bade Sahab in Dhurandhar, I was selected without any audition. Maybe they had seen some of my work.

You were in Haq as well, which starred Yami Gautam.

Yes, yes, but I looked so different there. But I’m okay with auditioning. It’s better to audition if someone wants you in a certain character.

It’s still very early stages right now because things don’t happen overnight. Maybe there will come a time when I won’t need to audition, but Dilli abhi door hai (laughs).

Do people recognise you on the street?

Yes, they do! They place you in Mumbai or some Metro city but if you’re in a smaller town, they wonder, ‘yahaan kaise ho sakte?‘ So they start staring at you, then gather some courage to ask, do you act? It starts like that.

How did everyone celebrate the blockbuster?

There was a party in Mumbai. When you know you’ve made such a big blockbuster, that feeling is so different. Everyone was so, so, so full with joy and humility and gratitude. We were just hugging.

I’ve been through so much struggle, I’ve been in this field for so many years. The struggle is giving fruit now.

Who among the cast were you closest with?

Because makeup and prosthetic was so tough, Arjun Rampal sir and Rakesh Bedi would comfort me a lot. They were very kind.

Arjun Rampal is next level, so much hasi-mazaak! You won’t say he’s like that looking at him.

Just yesterday I met Asif (Khan), who had played Babu Dakait, Rehman Dakait’s father. He was my senior at NSD. We were very happy, we never realised it would become such a big hit.

Dhurandhar made so much money. Did they reward you financially? Did you get a bonus?

Arrey, we are not working in a factory where you get Diwali bonus, so unfortunately, no. Other than (fees), nothing else.

Tip nahin mili (laughs).

‘You can’t eat, you can’t breathe properly, you have to sit for at least seven hours’

How difficult was the prosthetic?

Sitting with your eyes closed, nose blocked, mouth shut (was tough).

You can’t eat, you can’t breathe properly, and you have to sit for at least seven hours (for the application). And I had to wear it for about 8 to 10 hours of shoot.

I would feel itchy, sweaty…

You cannot rotate your neck, you cannot have solid food because if you chew, the jaw structure will change.

So I was only on liquids, through a straw. One had to be careful because once the prosthetic is pasted on your face, doing patchwork is very difficult. Nikalne lagti hai. So you have to think of something else because if you keep thinking about what’s happening to you, you will forget about acting!

We have seen Dawood Ibrahim played in the movies so many times, but never like the way you played him in Dhurandhar. That shock was probably the intention.

Yes, it was. I felt a shock too, yeh kya hai? If he is so sick, then how will he rule and how will he show his power?

The entire unit went to Thailand for the shoot and I was unable to discuss it with anyone. So when I went there, I had a meeting with Aditya sir (director Aditya Dhar), and shared my concern.

I said I won’t be able to speak also, if he needs oxygen constantly. So he said, we have to find a way sir, because he has to speak (laughs).

If you’re so sick, so ill, how will you show that power?

So how did you do it?

Arrey, bhai, ho jaata hai. I have done a lot of training. Also, you have to put yourself in that situation. Otherwise, it looks forced.

What was Aditya Dhar like? How did he help you?

He knows what he wants, and what he doesn’t. That’s a boon because you just have to do what he wants. Rather than exploring let’s do this or that. There are directors like that.

But he is very to-the-point. Whatever suggestions he had, he would come over and politely suggest in my ear. Like, perhaps your can say your dialogues faster, even though the character is so sick.

When you played Bade Sahab, what was the most challenging part for you?

To show the pain of this character. Actually, to feel the pain.

The scene where he’s being poisoned, what is actually happening to him? What is happening to his body? Aditya sir used to say ki pura kat raha hai aandar. I was like, how do I show a pain that I have never felt before?

Like, if your hand is broken or cut, that pain I can relate with.

In a family, when a woman goes through some pain… I was thinking of all sorts of pain, and then I tried to imagine the pain.

I was crawling in the scene because of the pain, and it was very stressful. I was sweating profusely.

Also, the first scene when you see him how to hold that scene, how to command that scene. That was a very tough scene.

‘I had worked with Ranveer many years ago in a play in Delhi’

What was working with Ranveer Singh like?

When we were introduced, Aditya Dhar said, ‘Come here, Ranveer, let me introduce you to Dawood.’ And Ranveer came over saying, ‘Oh Dawood saab, Dawoodsaab…’

When he came closer, he went silent and looked lost. Then he said, ‘Aarey Danish sir!’

I had worked with him many years ago, before Band Baaja Baaraat, in a play in Delhi. I had played his father.

After all these years, I didn’t feel any change. Yes, he has matured a lot, and become a fine actor. But the level of energy is the same. I felt that we met just yesterday. There was no change in the relationship.

Since I was lying in bed (during the film), he would come over and ask, ‘kuch chahiye?‘

In terms of work, of course, he has changed. It’s very difficult to pull off such a long film.

‘I don’t want to do one or two scenes. I want to graduate from that’

Did you always want to be an actor?

I wanted to take up cricket as my career. I had played for Allahabad, and was selected from all over UP, to be trained for the Ranji Trophy. But then, UP politics is very… Something happened, and I was heartbroken. So I had drop cricket.

How did you become an actor?

My mother was an actor in Allahabad, and she would also teach theatre. So, I think it’s in my genes. When I was in Standard 10, I started doing amateur theatre. Later, I joined All India Radio and would do radio plays.

I had a deep voice, so they would call me. Then I went to NSD. I got a scholarship to go to England to study acting, so I went there.

When you returned, it must have been such a struggle to get work.

Yes. I started teaching acting in Delhi. I taught for 13 long years.

When did you start acting?

My first film was the Hollywood film, A Mighty Heart. I was with Angeline Jolie in a scene. They are highly professional, and know what they want to do and how they want to do it.

It must have been a shock when you did your first Indian production.

Yes. This was in 2006; we have evolved a lot now. We were not so organised then. But now, we have a script well in advance. We have workshops. So yeah, things have changed a lot for the better.

When did you start getting roles that you were satisfied with?

It was during the lockdown. The web series Aranyak, starring Raveena Tandon, where I did a primary character.

What are you working on next?

I’m shooting for Khosla Ka Ghosla 2 in Delhi. There is also a film that I’m doing with Biju Viswanath from Kerala. I’m doing a lead role in that.

Did you always want to be a lead actor?

No. Lead just happened. But I don’t want to do one or two scenes. I want to graduate from that.

Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff