Saumya Tandon was terrified to really slap Rehman Dakait in Dhurandhar, Akshaye Khanna said, 'Go for it'

Saumya Tandon has emerged as one of the most talked-about performers following the release of Dhurandhar. Playing the wife of Rehman Dakait- portrayed by Akshaye Khanna- the actress delivered a restrained yet powerful performance. However, the moment that has stayed with audiences is the intense scene where her character slaps Rehman Dakait seven times. What many did not know initially was that these were real slaps, carried out with Akshaye Khanna’s full consent.

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A Role Taken on Faith and Conviction

During an exclusive conversation with mid-day, Saumya opened up about her experience of being part of Aditya Dhar’s espionage thriller and working alongside Akshaye Khanna. Saumya revealed that when she was first approached, she was informed that her role was relatively small. However, Aditya Dhar’s belief in the character and his vision for the film convinced her to come on board.

It’s absolutely overwhelming to receive so much love and appreciation for my part in #Dhurandhar. It wasn’t a long screen time, but so many of you told me the character made an impact,  and that truly means the world to me.

All credit to the incredible @AdityaDharFilms. Thank… pic.twitter.com/PiUmpFRxhe

— Saumya Tandon (@saumyatandon) December 11, 2025

Saumya said, “The script, honestly, wasn’t narrated to me completely because it was meant to be under wraps. I had no idea that they were going to make it in two parts. All those details were not communicated to me. I just knew the story and my part. Initially, my reaction was that this was a small role, but I was very excited to work with Aditya because he’s one of my favourite directors. Aditya told me that I hadn’t done anything like this before.”

Trusting the director’s instincts, Saumya decided to take the leap, unaware that her role would leave such a strong impact.

Working Opposite Akshaye Khanna

Calling Khanna one of her favourite actors, Saumya spoke about admiring his performances from the 1990s. Despite that admiration, she admitted to being extremely nervous about performing a physically intense scene with him.

“I didn’t even have time to interact with Akshaye, but I genuinely think we had great chemistry. Somehow, just through our eyes, there was so much camaraderie between the two of us. I didn’t have to work hard to build that connection because he’s such a seasoned actor. He is completely present in the moment,” said the actress.

Even with minimal interaction before the shoot, their on-screen chemistry came through effortlessly.

‘Go for It’: The Slap Scene That Shocked Everyone

Saumya candidly shared how she initially tried to avoid actually slapping Akshaye during the scene. However, director Aditya Dhar wanted authenticity.

“Initially, I was trying to cheat during slap scene. Then Aditya came to me and said, ‘Don’t fake it, just go for it.’ I looked at Akshaye and asked, ‘Should I go for it?’ and he very nonchalantly said, ‘Go for it.’ So I did. I felt terrible slapping him, but I just went ahead and did it,” she added.

Also Check: Kareena Kapoor Khan had a crush on Akshaye Khanna! Watch Bebo reveal why her Hulchul co-star was ‘Too Cute’

Both the female leads legit slap men and they don't even react. This woman wouldn't have even watched Dhurandhar but as usual making lame points to play woman card which has no relation with the movie https://t.co/ZRtRQYbBm2pic.twitter.com/kUTrXAyt4f

— feryy (@ffspari) December 8, 2025

That moment of reassurance from Khanna helped Saumya push past her fear and deliver one of Dhurandhar’s most hard-hitting scenes.