The Actor Who Plays The Most Special Role In Dhurandhar The Revenge

Ahida Sarmai, a special child with Down's Syndrome, makes her own space among Dhurandhar's biggest stars.

Ahida Sarmai plays Arjun Rampal's daughter in Dhurandhar The Revenge.

It is a tiny role -- just two short sentences -- but Ahida, a special child with Down's Syndrome, has travelled a determined path to find her moment in Hindi cinema's biggest blockbuster.

Each step of her journey has been one courageous moment after another, held together with quiet resilience and the unwavering support of her parents.

Last week, Ahida and her parents were invited to the special screening of the film in Mumbai. At the after-party, the film's cast of Ranveer Singh, Arjun Rampal, and Sara Arjun, and director Aditya Dhar gave Ahida a huge shout-out, warm hugs and told her how amazing she was on screen.

A big-shout from Ranveer, Arjun Rampal, Sara Arjun and Aditya Dhar

Ahida is the youngest female character and one of the few women in the film. Her character is looked down by her screen grandfather and is symptomatic of the broader prejudice confronted by people with special needs, a bias that must be dismantled every day.

Her mother Suprena was with her during the filming, which was wrapped in four-five takes.

Arjun Rampal was very generous with his special co-actor while Ahida acted her part alongside him, responding professionally to Director Aditya Dhar's cues, points out Suprena Sarmai, overwhelmed with her daughter’s achievement.

Suprena attributes Ahida's performance to her experience in theatre, especially Anupama Chouhan's Raasha Theatre, a theatre group for Special Children.

That evening of the special show, Ranveer Singh stopped to give Ahida a hug.

'Oh cutie, you were amazing on screen. God bless you. All the best,' said Ranveer.

Sara Arjun praised her, telling her that her talent was going to take her far.

During the filming, Aditya Dhar knew exactly how to deal with a child actor with special needs, points out Suprena. He was patient, comforting and ensured that Ahida was in an environment that made her feel relaxed so that she could deliver what he expected.

He did not pressurise her to learn the lines in advance. On the day of the shoot, he warmly told her he was happy to have her in his film and gently guided her through what she needed to do.

Ahida did not disappoint. She was a natural on camera, delivering the lines, with the right expression and gestures.

"Aditya Dhar sir is genuinely an amazing person which reflects in his work. He had a calm demeanour on the set," said Suprena.

How Ahida got a role in Dhurandhar The Revenge

Ahida, who has already acted in two films and a few plays, was spotted by Mukesh Chhabra's casting agency on Instagram. Her Instagram feed had a clip of her dancing to the song Shararat from Dhurandhar. Seeing the clip, her parents were contacted by Pankaj Rautela from the casting agency.

Rautela then auditioned Ahida, giving her some scenes to enact so that she could ease herself into the role. The next day, he called to confirm her appearance in the film.

"It has been a difficult journey, with its ups and downs. As parents, we reminiscence about all that has happened and then when we see the result of your child's hard work on 70mm, it fills our eyes with tears," say the proud parents.

"It also represents inclusivity that they have included a special child in mainstream cinema."

The Gifted Ahida -- artist, actor, dancer

The centre of Ahida Sarmai's home is dominated by one of her large paintings. There are many others pieces of her work too, like certificates and medals.

The day I visited, she showed me several of her paintings and the ones she was working on.

"I love painting and paint every day. I enjoy dancing and acting a lot too," says Ahida, who is an independent, polite teenager, gently guiding her younger sister in front of visiting guests like older siblings often do.

Ahida's paintings have been on display twice in exhibitions at Rashtrapati Bhavan, the NCPA in Mumbai and several other events. One of her photographs was shortlisted for a book of photography for special children in the UK.

She has acted in two 1short films, Maktoomb and Bebaquain. The latter is a moving portrayal of a special child's dream to become an actor and has been delayed due to some constraints.

She has acted in plays like Woh Khula Aasaman, Asha Ki Kiran and Ramayana and made a presentation about her work at the Smile International Film Festival in January.

Among her long list of achievements is Miss India (Down's Syndrome) runner-up 2022 and Miss Delhi (Special Children) first runner-up 2024. Ahida has also participated in several fashion shows, given classical dance performances and is the brand ambassador of Nirvana World, an NGO that works for people with special needs.

While at home, she takes painting classes and acting lessons twice a week, goes to the gym regularly and is a loving elder sister to her little sister.

"She is the queen. It was magical to see her in the biggest, most talked about film," says Ahida's beaming mum.

Way to go, girl! We are rooting for you!

Feature Presentation: Aslam Hunani/Rediff

Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff