Arjun Rampal: 'Dhurandhar' is My Revenge for 26/11 Horrors

Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal recently shared a poignant account of how the horrific 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, which occurred on his birthday, profoundly impacted him and influenced his decision to take on a significant role in the blockbuster film 'Dhurandhar.' Rampal's birthday falls on November 26, the same date as the devastating 2008 attacks. He vividly recalled being in Mumbai on that fateful day, heading to the Taj Hotel to celebrate his birthday with friends after picking them up from the Four Seasons hotel. It was then that he heard the first explosion, describing how the glass rattled around them, signaling the terrifying beginning of the attacks that would soon grip the city. Within minutes, phones began ringing, initially reporting a gang war in Colaba, before the true scale of the tragedy became apparent, leading to the Four Seasons hotel being cordoned off. Rampal spent the night there, witnessing the unfolding horrors of 26/11 on what was supposed to be a celebratory day. Years later, this deeply personal and traumatic experience played a crucial role in his engagement with the film 'Dhurandhar,' where he essayed the antagonist's role of ISI Major Iqbal, a character depicted as one of the key orchestrators behind the 26/11 attacks. Rampal has openly stated that portraying Major Iqbal felt like a form of 'personal revenge' for the events he witnessed. He expressed that when filmmaker Aditya Dhar narrated the 26/11 sequence to him, he knew he wanted to be a part of it to exact this 'revenge' through his performance. The emotional toll of recreating such a sensitive and painful historical event was immense for Rampal and his co-stars. He described filming the scene where his character and others celebrate the 26/11 attacks as the 'most difficult scene of his life'. This sentiment was corroborated by actor R. Madhavan, who also starred in the film. Madhavan revealed that both Arjun Rampal and Akshaye Khanna (who played another Pakistani character, Rehman Dakait, celebrating the attacks) broke down uncontrollably after filming the intense sequence. According to Madhavan, it wasn't just acting for them; having lived through those times, the real incidents and memories resurfaced, making the emotions too heavy to control. 'Dhurandhar,' released in December 2025, is a spy action thriller directed by Aditya Dhar, loosely inspired by real-life geopolitical events, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks, the 1999 IC-814 hijacking, and the 2001 Indian Parliament attack. The film achieved monumental success at the box office, collecting over ₹1,300 crore worldwide and emerging as the highest-grossing Hindi film of 2025. Its success spurred the creation of a direct sequel, 'Dhurandhar: The Revenge,' which was released on March 19, 2026. The sequel, which sees Ranveer Singh's character Hamza take revenge on Major Iqbal, also opened to an overwhelming response, collecting ₹145 crore on its first day and nearing ₹700 crore worldwide within four days of its release. The films' compelling narrative, coupled with the powerful performances of its ensemble cast, including Ranveer Singh, Akshaye Khanna, Sanjay Dutt, and R. Madhavan, have resonated deeply with audiences, especially the depiction of the 26/11 events and the theme of retaliation against terrorism.

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