May 12, 2026 2:01pm IST
Chitrangda Singh on Almost Working With Aditya Dhar: ‘He Had Written This Amazing Character For Me’ (EXCLUSIVE)
The success of “Dhurandhar” has turned working with filmmaker Aditya Dhar into the most coveted gig right now. But for actor Chitrangda Singh, it’s also a reminder of how she almost worked with the talented filmmaker several years ago.
In an exclusive chat with Variety India, the actress spoke about how she, like most moviegoers in the country, is obsessed with Dhar’s “Dhurandhar”. She even showered praise on newcomer Sara Arjun’s supporting act as Yalina opposite Ranveer Singh’s Hamza.
“I can’t speak of anything else right now. I think ‘Dhurandhar’ was fantastic. I think Sara Arjun has done an amazing job in it. She was brilliant in those scenes.”
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Talking about Aditya Dhar, Singh heaped appreciation on the filmmaker’s passion for the craft and how it is bound to cause a shift in the industry. She went on to reveal how a possible collaboration between her and Dhar years ago never materialised. And it was only recently that she realised how much time and effort they had spent on trying to get it made.
“Who doesn't want to work with him? I'd love to, obviously, because he's brilliant and has changed the whole system. How many people are going to go back, rewrite and introspect? Just to see that kind of passion in filmmaking is so inspiring.
I was going to do a film with Aditya Dhar, called ‘Sufi’. Around 2012, he and I were constantly in touch and trying very hard to get this film made. And there was a lot of back and forth. He'd written this amazing character for me, it was almost getting done, and we were going to announce the film. But it didn't happen.
So recently, when I messaged him [about Dhurandhar], I didn't know whether he’d even be on the same number. And then I realized, [with] the whole chat and everything, ‘Oh my God, we really worked hard at that one!’"
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Furthermore, Singh made sure to set aside some words of admiration for Dhar’s spouse, Yami Gautam Dhar, whose critically acclaimed performance in "Haq" moved the actor enough to want to text her personally.
“I don't always message people; I’d maybe put a tweet out or something. But I really wanted to get her [Yami Gautam Dhar] number. I know Suparn (Varma), the director. But I had to say, I was just amazed by that performance. It's just stayed with me how well-written it was. How every silence, every emotion, every expression was telling of what a woman goes through, and how she's so vulnerable and weak, and needs to be strong. She’s just on the verge of breaking every single moment, but she doesn't. I think it was one of the most beautiful films I've seen lately," she concludes.
Chitrangda Singh will soon be seen opposite Salman Khan in the latter’s production, “Maatrubhumi: May War Rest In Peace”.
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