Dhanush says he was ‘worried’ about Sara Ali Khan’s casting in Atrangi Re, expressed reservations to Aanand L Rai

During an appearance on Koffee Shots With Karan, Dhanush admitted that he was a ‘little worried’ when he first learnt that Sara Ali Khan was cast in Atrangi Re because he was not sure that she could do justice to the role. In fact, he even expressed his reservations to director Aanand L Rai.

Speaking with host Karan Johar, Dhanush said, “To be very honest, I was a little worried. It’s such a big role and a very difficult character to play. I asked Aanand ji, ‘How many films has she done?’ He told me 2 or 3 films, at that point of time. I was like, ‘Can she pull it off?’”

However, Aanand convinced Dhanush that there was something about Sara that was perfect for the role of Rinku Sooryavanshi. “Aanand ji kept telling me, ‘There is something I need and I see it in her.’ And he does. I don’t know how he cracks that. For some reason, out of nowhere, he brought me here to do Raanjhanaa. He had the conviction that this is my actor for the film. So, he must have seen something in her,” he said.

Dhanush said that in Sara, he saw ‘an actor who has so much to learn’ but also someone who ‘has an amazing appetite to learn and work hard’. “If that is there, I think anything is achievable,” he said.

Also see: Atrangi Re’s Chaka Chak: Sara Ali Khan dances at Dhanush’s engagement, fan says ‘combo of Kareena Kapoor-Amrita Singh’

Sara made her debut with Kedarnath in 2018. Since then, she has starred in Simmba, Love Aaj Kal and Coolie No 1. Atrangi Re is her fifth release. She will be seen next in Laxman Utekar’s film alongside Vicky Kaushal.

Atrangi Re, which also stars Akshay Kumar in a pivotal role, is set for a direct-to-digital release on Disney+ Hotstar on December 24.