After the release of Aditya Dhar’s Dhurandhar, Akshaye Khanna became an overnight sensation whereas Ranveer Singh aka Hamza left fans speechless with his performance and transformation. But there was another actor in the team who dropped jaws with his versatility — Gaurav Gera, who portrayed the role of Aalam bhai, a juice shop owner in Lyari who is later introduced as Hamza’s handler. He was unrecognisable! Well, as we eagerly wait to witness Aalam bhai and Hamza’s reunion and the latter’s rise as the king of Lyari in Dhurandhar: The Revenge, let’s revisit Ranveer and Gaurav’s first meeting, much before they became spies for Aditya’s film.
In Dhurandhar, on reaching Lyari, Ranveer Singh as undercover agent Hamza approaches Mohammed Aalam, played by Gaurav Gera, at his juice shop. Hamza asks Aalam bhai for work but is dismissed. Later, they work together undercover. This was Aalam bhai and Hamza’s first meeting in the film. But Ranveer and Gaurav’s first meeting in real life took place a decade ago, in 2015. Back then, apart from being a beloved actor, Gaurav was an internet sensation thanks to his Shopkeeper and Chutki skit. On their first meeting, Ranveer and Gaurav hilariously recreated one such viral video, where Gaurav arrived at shopkeeper Ranveer’s shop as Chutki.
The video began with Gaurav calling out the shopkeeper, and Ranveer responding, “Haanji behenji?” Gaurav proceeded to ask for ‘inner garment, inner wear, undergarment’. When Ranveer failed to understand, an annoyed Gaurav left the Bollywood heartthrob shocked by saying, “Chaddhi chahiye.” 10 years later, they shared the screen in Dhurandhar, this time as an undercover agent in Pakistan and his handler. Under a resurfaced video of Ranveer and Gaurav as Shopkeeper and Chutki, a fan laughed, “They were Spy there also 😅,” whereas another funny comment read, “That’s from their missions in other countries.” A fan also joked, “Dhurandhar shoot day 1.”
Post the film’s release, Gaurav remembered their original first meeting and shared, “I had grown full beard and we all were sitting for the mind blowing narration , was long narration ( now we all know ) .. in the washroom break , I was sitting and RS comes from behind my chair and says .. ‘Chutki washroom jayegi ?’ I was like Leh .. meri itni Dadhi waste ho gayi 🙈 That is Him , Sadda Hamza The warm , friendly Superstar 🥰❤️.”
How excited are you to see Gaurav Gera and Ranveer Singh once again as Aalam bhai and Hamza Ali Mazari aka Jaskirat Singh Rangi in Dhurandhar’s sequel Dhurandhar: The Revenge on March 19?