Akshaye Khanna’s viral Fa9la look from Dhurandhar almost didn’t happen: ‘I’m not sure if we should take this route…’

Akshaye Khanna’s commanding screen presence in Dhurandhar has emerged as one of the film’s biggest talking points. From his first appearance to the now-viral Fa9la sequence, audiences have been fixated not just on the character of Rehman Dakait, but on how he looks. What many don’t know, however, is that the outfit that now feels inseparable from the character almost didn’t make it to the screen.Akshaye Khanna as the gangster Rehman Dakait, being carefree and dancing to the song Fa9la (HT_PRINT)A look that needed to feel lived-inIn a conversation with Digital Commentary, costume designer Smriti Chauhan revealed that the initial costume plan was a whole different story. Akshaye was meant to appear largely in pathanis — pretty simple, right? But the actor felt that this route lacked essence. “It was a very important input Akshaye sir himself, that we should not forget that he is also from the streets,” said Smriti.That single suggestion altered the character’s costume journey entirely. Smriti explained that soon after, the outfits were designed to mirror Rehman Dakait’s political rise throughout the film. “It made a lot of sense, because we also see his rise in the film as he progresses to join a political party later in the story. So, we had a journey where we see him dressed in linens and denims, and then cut to silk-wool pathani, which is one of the most important looks in the film.”