For actor Gittika Ganju Dhar, acting is about inhabiting the unfamiliar. Playing the role of Shabnam Jamali in Aditya Dhar’s recently released Dhurandhar, the actor says, “I’m not an overbearing person in real life, and that’s what makes it fun.”
For Dhar, Shabnam, generally seen as the unapologetic, overbearing wife of a powerful Pakistani politician, is far from a ‘negative’ character. Even in moments of harshness — like a scene where Shabnam aggressively reprimands her daughter Yalina (played by Sara Arjun)—Dhar found herself initially holding back, only to be reminded that this is who Shabnam is. Yet beneath the severity, Dhar insists, lies a woman shaped by circumstance: married young to an older man (Jameel Jamali played by Rakesh Bedi), navigating power, control and motherhood in a rigid cultural atmosphere. “She’s coping with her life and standing by her daughter,” Dhar says.
Produced by B62 Studios, Dhurandhar, released on December 5, is running successfully in theatres; it was close to entering the one-crore club within days of its release. The first in a two-part film series, the spy action thriller, however, had had mixed reviews – its grit and realism have been appreciated even as it has been perceived as playing up a certain narrative besides stereotypical characterisations of Pakistanis at times. The film follows undercover agent Hamza Ali Mazari (Ranveer Singh) who is sent to infiltrate Karachi’s criminal and political underworld as a part of an elaborate Indian intelligence operation.
Dhar, known for acting in films like Music Meri Jaan (2016) and Laal Singh Chaddha (2022), and OTT series Tanaav Season 2 and Aarya Season 2, says saying yes to Dhurandhar was instinctive, driven by faith in the film’s makers and the kind of cinema they represent. “I’ve seen Aditya Dhar’s previous work—Uri, Article 370, Baramulla—and I feel these are pieces of cinema that will be viewed for generations to come,” she tells TMS.
Within that largely male-driven cinematic world, Dhurandhar features just three women characters—Shabnam, Yalina, and Ulfat (Saumya Tandon), wife of Akshay Khanna’s Rehman. Dhar believes audiences are ready for morally complex women characters on screen. “Women are tired of being told there’s only one acceptable way to exist,” she says. “We’re accepting our flaws and contradictions. Viewers can accept that women, like men, have highs and lows too.”
A personal lens
The film, although a work of fiction, loosely draws from real intelligence operations and political events like the 1999 IC-814 hijack, 2001 Indian Parliament attack, and Operation Lyari. Dhar says the film aligns with who she is off screen. “I’m very interested in what’s happening politically and geopolitically in our region,” she says. “So working on a film that is written about how things have unfolded over decades felt natural to me.”
Dhar’s father is a retired army officer. She watched the film in theatres with him. “Throughout the film, he kept telling me, ‘This is how it happens,” she says. “That was when it really hit me.”
Life before the camera
Long before films and OTT shows, Dhar spent over 25 years as a speaker and anchor for shows like Meri Saheli (Star Plus), Zaike ka Safar (Zee TV), Executive Class (DD National) and Chitrahaar (DD National). She says that experience gave her an advantage on set. “I’m very comfortable with dialogue, with voice modulation. There’s no fear of the camera.”
Acting was never intimidating but an extension of who she is. “Back then, I didn’t understand the world of films, so I didn’t venture into it.” Dhar, also a mass communication graduate from Jamia Millia Islamia with training in camera work, says her educational background sharpened her technical awareness. “You understand lighting, framing, sound. You automatically adjust yourself without being told,” she explains.
At this stage, success for Dhar isn’t defined by numbers alone. “It’s about the respect you earn for your craft,” she says. As for what comes next, she keeps her expectations open. “I’m manifesting openness to all kinds of stories. Let’s see how things unfold.”