Dhurandhar actor Naveen Kaushik says he lost faith in the film industry, credits Aditya Dhar for helping him believe again, ‘I was ready to quit and leave’

As Dhurandhar continues its dream run at the box office, one of its actors, Naveen Kaushik, has shared an emotional note that has struck a chord across the industry. The actor, who plays Donga in Aditya Dhar’s blockbuster, opened up about self-doubt, repeated rejections and a moment when he was on the verge of quitting the film industry altogether.In a heartfelt Instagram post addressed to the filmmaker, Naveen wrote, “Being an actor is all about trust... Somewhere in there, you forget that before everything, you have to trust yourself.” He reflected on years of waiting for callbacks, battling insecurities and questioning his place in an industry that often tests an actor’s patience and belief.Naveen admitted that he had reached a breaking point before Dhurandhar happened. “I had forgotten my trust in me. I was ready to quit and leave,” he revealed, calling his meeting with Aditya Dhar his “last Hail Mary before leaving the industry for good.”What followed, according to the actor, was an unexpected connection — two artists of the same age bonding over their Delhi theatre roots and their shared journey to Mumbai. That meeting, he said, changed everything.Recalling a moment during the film’s narration, Naveen quoted Dhar telling the cast, “I need you all to put your trust in me and help me make this humongous project happen.” The words stayed with him. “I suddenly felt that this was my movie... like I had become part of the village that raises a child,” he wrote.Describing the past year and a half as “tough, frustrating, but deliciously thrilling,” Naveen praised Dhar’s leadership on set, calling him “the captain who kept the boat steady” even in the most challenging moments. The actor credited Dhar for trusting him with a pivotal character and turning it into one of his biggest professional milestones. “You put your trust in me... You helped me to trust myself again,” Naveen wrote, adding that the world now sees Dhar as “the master, the genius, the craftsman, and the storyteller that you truly are.” Naveen Kaushik is known for films like Rocket Singh: Salesman Of The Year, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Bad Newz, along with shows like Seven and Inside Edge. Dhurandhar, led by Ranveer Singh and featuring an ensemble cast including Sanjay Dutt, Arjun Rampal, Akshaye Khanna, R. Madhavan and others, has collected Rs 648 crore domestically in just 22 days. The sequel, Dhurandhar 2, is slated to release on March 19, 2026.