‘Ranveer Singh was not only Hamza, but…’: Bimal Oberoi on working with Akshaye Khanna in Dhurandhar, Blinkit memes, more

Riding on the massive success of Dhurandhar and its follow-up, the Aditya Dhar-directed spy thriller has emerged as one of the most ambitious Indian action sagas in recent years, blending real-world geopolitical tensions with high-stakes espionage and a sprawling ensemble cast led by Ranveer Singh.

At the centre of much of the intrigue sits Shirani, a quietly powerful, morally complex figure within the film’s terror network—brought to life by Bimal Oberoi, whose restrained yet commanding performance has drawn widespread attention and helped elevate him as one of the standout faces of the franchise.

Here are some excerpts from the exclusive interview:

How was it like working with such a massive ensemble being led by the likes of Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna?

It was great working with them—true professionals. Nice gentlemen, all of them.

Ranveer was so much into the film; he owned it. During the shoot, he wasn’t only Hamza—he would also be the first AD, he would also be the producer, making sure that if somebody new had joined the production—because I had joined quite late—everything was taken care of.

On my first day, we had a very emotional conversation before a crucial scene. He made sure everything around me was perfect. That ice-breaking is very important. Though he is younger, he came across like a senior professional. That made the scene like a cakewalk—there was no inhibition after that.

With Akshaye, it was his introverted personality—in a good way. Our first sequence together was when I welcome him to my village.

I said I’m seeing you after 30 years. I told him that he had come to Dalhousie for a shoot for his first film, and I was living in Amritsar at the time. I got to know that Vinod Khanna sahab had come there, so my friend and I rode a scooter for about 7–8 hours just to see him. He was very happy to hear that. And as I was walking away, he said, ‘Bimal, it was not 30 years, it was 31 years.’

It was lovely working with him. Even though we didn’t have much screen time together, it was still very good.

What is it like under Aditya Dhar’s direction?

I’m a huge fan of him as a person. Making a film of that scale is not easy. When you are the writer, director, and producer, you want to make sure everything is perfect.

He ensured that whatever we were doing, we put our best foot forward. Despite all the chaos, he remained very calm. At no point did we see him lose his temper. He was always smiling, even in very difficult locations.

Working with him felt like being part of a family. What more could one ask for?

You shot the Sher-e-Baloch scene two times… why was Ranveer’s Hamza so calm compared to Akshaye’s Rehman?

That’s a director’s question, but I think the happiness—you can see it on his (Hamza's) face. In his mind, he has come with a mission and is getting closer to it, so he is celebrating internally.

Some people celebrate differently, even in real life. I treated it like that. It was a continuous, immersive feeling—like being absorbed in the moment. That is what I would presume.

How does it feel to be an absolute legend on the internet right now (memes, etc.)?

This was not expected. But look at our audience—how evolved they are and how creative they are. Every day they come up with something new that nobody had thought of.

Last night my niece told me, “Chacha, very soon Blinkit will approach you for an ad.” I said, “Yes, they should—because any publicity is good publicity.”

All these memes just bring a smile to your face. They are funny, but in a very nice way.

How did you land this role – were you approached or did you audition?

Audition - a couple of times, actually. They had already shot a major portion and were looking for this character.

I was approached, but I had to audition. I auditioned a couple of times over a span of a few months. They would send it for feedback, then call me again—this went back and forth.

Then I met Aditya Dhar, and he asked me to grow a real beard and shave my head. I said yes immediately because it’s such an amazing role.

A lot of preparation went into it. Since I restarted acting in 2018, this became a very important opportunity for me.

How different was Shirani in the 2nd part than the first?

If you look at Shirani’s character, how many words does he really speak? Yet, the impact is undeniable.

It all begins with the writing—character, costume, and detailing. Even if there is just one scene, it has to be executed with precision.

Every character, even with minimal dialogue, carries depth because of the strength of the writing and its execution.

Whose performance did you like the most as an audience member?

Look at the casting by Mukesh Chhabra—the bouquet of character actors: Rakesh Bedi, Gaurav Gera, Manav Gohil, Danish Pandor, Naveen Kaushik, and Mustafa Ahmed, who played Rizwan.

For a director to think of relatively lesser-known actors like myself for such an important role—that takes vision. It’s a beautiful bouquet of actors.

The kind of casting Mukesh Chhabra has done for the film—it’s truly remarkable. He deserves a special award, even a National Award. I am very serious about it. It’s a bouquet of stars and actors who have not done roles of this kind.

I have known many people—they are my friends—but I didn’t know they were part of the film. Naveen and Gaurav are both good friends. When I saw them, I was like, “Oh, you’re also in this film?” That’s when I started realising, even while shooting, that something special was happening—everyone was so excited and charged up.

There was a lot of professionalism and love involved in the work because they believed so much in the script.

What's your favourite anecdote from the set?

There are two moments.

When Ranveer walked up to me, he put his hand on my shoulders and took me aside. That was my first proper day of shooting, and it was a big scene. The way he sat with me and spoke really touched me. We are all professional, seasoned actors, but that human touch— uska maza hi alag hota hai (there’s a different kind of joy in that.)

Another one is with Aditya Dhar. One day, the weather turned very bad during the shoot. I’ve worked with some very big names, but this man—he was as calm as Shirani. Main bohot bada fan ho gaya hu inn dono logon ka (I have become a very big fan of both of them.)

What’s next for you?

There are a couple of exciting things.

There is a film I did before this— David Dhawan's Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai.

An international biblical film called Daniel, directed by the Cuman Brothers, featuring Mena Massoud—I play an important role in that.

I’m also working on a film by Prashanth Neel (KGF, Salaar) titled Dragon, starring Jr NTR and Anil Kapoor. It’s an important role, and we’ve already begun shooting. This opportunity came after the release of Dhurandhar.

There is also a music video coming soon for which I have written the poetry.

I write as well—there’s a Marathi film I wrote called April May 99. I also wrote a song called Adhura, which won an award.

It’s a soothing, meaningful song—not a commercial one.

And the music video should be released in about a month.

As audiences continue to dissect the film’s layered characters and viral moments, Oberoi’s portrayal of Shirani has become both a critical talking point and a cultural phenomenon—making this conversation a timely deep dive into the man behind one of Dhurandhar’s most intriguing characters.

Dhurandhar: The Revenge (Dhurandhar 2) released in theatres on 19 March, 2026.