Dhurandhar 2 Action Director Aejaz Gulab Says Ranveer Singh 'Not A Conventional Action Star,' But Highly Enthusiastic
Four top-tier action directors from across the globe, each from a different school of stunt design, came together to design action in Dhurandhar 2.
By Seema Sinha
Published : March 23, 2026 at 5:07 PM IST
Much like Dhurandhar, its second installment, Dhurandhar: The Revenge, is packed with bloodshed and gore in its almost four-hour runtime and the high-octane spy-thriller could achieve that by roping in not one, but four top-tier action directors from across the globe, each from a different school of stunt design. With Aejaz Gulab (India), Sea-Young Oh (Korea), Yannick Ben (France), and Ramazan Bulut (Turkey) helming different segments, one witnessed a never-seen-before variety in stunt choreography and fight design. Featuring intense, raw action sequences, including a brutal wedding fight, a dramatic high-speed bike chase through narrow lanes, and a gripping shootout involving Ranveer Singh and Akshaye Khanna in Ladakh, the action spectacle is marked by gritty, R-rated violence, including a notable, intense, and emotional 26/11 sequence that serves as a pivotal, tension-filled moment.
“The scale of the film required action that felt distinct from one sequence to the next, which demanded a combination of skills that rarely overlap in Indian cinema. Audiences have been treated to carefully crafted action sequences that demonstrate the scale and precision of the stunts. The film features complex set pieces and sequences designed with technical planning to ensure each moment stands out,” says stunt director Aejaz Gulab, who executed almost every action sequence in Dhurandhar 2.
The action directors also made sure that the use of body doubles was minimum. “Wherever we felt that it is dangerous for actors to attempt only then we would use body double, 90-95 per cent of action is done by actors themselves,” says Gulab.
Referring to a particular fight sequence between Ranveer Singh’s Jaskirat Singh Rangi, aka Hamza Ali Mazari and Arjun Rampal’s Major Iqbal, Gulab revealed that a rubber prop was used to depict a chain. Although the tool did not cut the skin, it caused pain, which both Ranveer and Arjun endured during the filming process.
"Despite receiving multiple injuries during the climax shot, neither actor slowed down. Both were so immersed in the sequence that they refused to take breaks and even supported each other during rehearsals,” he says.
Each action director contributes a distinct layer to the film’s action language. Gulab brings classic Indian practical action with large outdoor units, precise vehicle work, and controlled collisions. Sea-Young Oh adds Korean close-combat precision, emphasising proximity, sharp hits, tight rhythm, and tension-driven choreography. Yannick Ben (known for working on Hollywood blockbusters like Inception, Dunkirk and Indian blockbusters like Lokah, Shah Rukh Khan’s Jawan and OTT series The Family Man among others) expands the film’s movement with European parkour-style transitions, multi-level chases, complex aerial rigging, and fluid spatial geography. Ramazan Bulut complements this with European-Turkish close-quarters realism built on footwork, body weight, and tactical positioning. Together, these four shape an action style that blends Indian physicality, Korean sharpness, European mobility, and Turkish realism into a seamless whole.
“Ramazan’s sequences can be seen when there is the rise of Hamza where he starts killing the enemies. He choreographed most of the gunfights, Yannick has done only the Lyari portion in the first part where he designed those five killings. Sea-Young Oh (who worked with Shah Rukh Khan on Fan, Hrithik Roshan on War and Salman for Tiger 3, he also designed the high-stakes action sequences for the film Kill) worked on the film for a longer period, he choreographed the climax for the second part – Dhurandhar: The Revenge,” reveals Gulab.
"Dhurandhar action is far more brutal and gorier than any film that I have worked on in the past. It is far more intense and realistic,” says Germany-based Bulut, who, in the past has worked extensively in Ajay Devgn films like Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior, Bholaa, Runway 34, Baadshaho, Shivaay besides Salman Khan’s Kick and Prabhas-starrer Adipurush.
“The film’s action sequences were designed with meticulous planning, ensuring every punch, chase, and stunt is distinct. The film presents its sequences as structured cinematic set pieces, creating an experience that engages audiences at every turn,” say Bulut.
Gulab has been working in the action department in Bollywood films since 1989. He went on to become a full-fledged action director in 2006 with his debut in Sanjay Gupta’s Shootout at Lokhandwala.
“I have worked with all top stars like Aamir, Salman, Shah Rukh, Akshay, Govinda… Dhurandhar is my first film with Ranveer and I really enjoyed working with him. I can’t compare Ranveer to other actors, he is almost the same work wise but definitely he is far more enthusiastic and interesting, he is always punctual on set. Whatever shot was set up he would rehearse many times and unless and until he was perfect, he wouldn’t go for take. My job is to make actors do stunts and make the sequence look good for the audience and if an actor is hardworking and disciplined that makes my job easy,” says Gulab.
While often described as a versatile "chameleon" actor rather than solely an action star, Dhurandhar marked a significant, critically praised shift towards raw, intense action for the actor, departing from glamorous "invincible" tropes. However, Ranveer established his mass-audience action hero potential in Rohit Shetty's 2018 release Simmba, a role he later reprised for the Cop Universe.
“We had to make some adjustments as Ranveer is not a conventional action star but not in every sequence. Ranveer was too enthusiastic to do action scenes, so whatever sequence was there we always made the first cut of action. First Ranveer would learn and train, get familiar during the workshop where we would do exactly what we had decided. That way it was very easy for us to execute on set. Akshaye has done action only in the climax in the first part and he has given great performance in terms of running, firing, hitting… he was unstoppable,” says Gulab.
“Also, Ranveer was careful, he was taking care that nobody gets hurt. Guns were heavy, so we used to make fibre guns, rubber guns easier for actors to hold. We would do lots of planning, pre-planning. Sometimes we would do rehearsals on set so that the actors would get familiar with the floor, pillars, walls, ground which at times would be slippery and learn to deal with that earlier before the final take. We also made ‘fake’ walls that looked real so that actors were not hurt when banged against it," says Gulab.
The biggest challenge for the action team was to give something different from the action films released in the recent past.
“People have seen Animal, Pushpa, Pathaan… many other films had brutal action and our main challenge was to beat the kind of action people have already seen and make it look more real which wasn’t so in Animal. The challenge was to make each and every action and even killing look different from each other, whether it is the killing of Rahman Dakait or his father’s character, or the way Hamza kills Rahman’s servant. Each and every revenge sequence has been treated differently, none of the sequences look the same. In the killing of the servant, we showed more torture which wasn’t the case for Babu Dakait, he was picked up and his head was smashed,” says Gulab.
Among all the heart-racing action, Gulab rates the marriage action sequence as one of the best, “That was the first time we saw Hamza actually fighting; the sequence made us believe that Hamza can do everything. The choreography for that sequence was too intense,” he says. Shot in multiple locations, including Mumbai, Thailand, Amritsar, Chandigarh, Patiala, Ludhiana… Gulab says fight sequences in locations like godowns or in scorching heat were exhausting and draining.
As per Gulab, a lot of the ideas were chalked out on the spot without prior planning “because the director wanted the action to look and feel real and not anything superficial. He further discloses that the climax scene of Dhurandhar 2, which runs for approximately 30 minutes, was especially demanding, taking six days of rehearsal and 14 days of shooting.
“Here the challenge was of maintaining continuity. But each department of hair, makeup and costume department… worked tirelessly, taking reference photos after each shot to recreate the same look with precision the next day,” he says.
“When Aditya narrated the film to us, he said I don’t want to make just a hit movie but everyone has to give 100 per cent and whatever the requirements it will be provided by the production team. He gave us full freedom to push the boundaries when it came to action with absolutely no compromises on the intensity. In terms of locations, sets, making breakable props and multiple props, all this costs a lot of money but he didn’t want to compromise on any of these aspects. This is one of my best projects. Whatever was the vision of the director I was given full liberty to execute it and Aditya, despite being a calm person, operates on a whole new level when it comes to action sequences” says Gulab.
Dhurandhar: The Revenge, which opened in the theatres on March 19, has been enjoying a stupendous run at the box office, crossing the Rs 700-crore mark worldwide in just 4 days. While the first part showed Ranveer Singh’s Jaskirat infiltrating the gangs in Lyari as Hamza to eliminate the terror network targeting India, the second segment focuses on his origin story with even higher stakes this time.
Key action sequences in Dhurandhar include:
- The Wedding Fight Sequence: Described as explosive and gritty, this scene blends intense, hand-to-hand combat with high-stakes emotional storytelling.
- High-Octane Bike & SUV Chase: Ranveer Singh’s character (Hamza) engages in a relentless, fast-paced chase sequence through difficult terrain in Ladakh.
- Intense Shootout Scenes: The film features several intense gun battles, including a scene where Sanjay Dutt, playing SP Chaudhary Aslam, engages in a shootout on a street.
- Brutal Combat (Lyari Scene): A "guns blazing" entrance into the chaotic neighbourhood of Lyari by Ranveer Singh, characterized as an electrifying action moment.
- Helicopter Stunt: A thrilling stunt scene involving a helicopter, shot on location in Ladakh.
