Starring Ahsaas Channa, Gudgudi has been selected to be screened at the 79th Cannes Film Festival. Mukesh Chhabra called it an opportunity to bring focus to Indian talents
Picture Courtesy/Mukesh Chhabra's Instagram account
Soon after the mega success of the box office phenomenon, Dhurandhar and Dhurandhar The Revenge, casting director Mukesh Chhabra has now achieved another significant feat by venturing into production with Gudgudi. Starring Ahsaas Channa, Gudgudi has been officially selected under the Marché du Film segment at the 79th Cannes Film Festival, 2026, running from 12 to 23 May, 2026.
Mukesh Chhabra reacts to Gudgudi's Cannes selection
“Words can’t justify how I feel to see Gudgudi make its way to the 79th Cannes Film Festival. It’s an esteemed, global platform, and I feel grateful to be able to showcase our vision, Indian cinema’s vision, our capability and celebrate the teamwork that went behind creating this piece of work,” shares Mukesh Chhabra.
“It’s a proud moment for India and a global opportunity to bring focus to Indian talents. This opportunity reinforces the growing global recognition of Indian craft, and I truly feel honoured to be a part of this milestone,” he adds.
Directed by Manisha Makwana, Gudgudi marks the first-ever production of Mukesh Chhabra, becoming a significant addition to his body of work.
View this post on Instagram
Announcing the selection on social media, the makers shared a poster and penned a heartfelt caption that read, “Presenting Gudgudi Our yet another special film that has found its way to Cannes… and we honestly couldn’t be more grateful to share this moment with all of you. This is a dream come true with dream team manishamakwana18 ahsaassy_.”
It added, “Thank you for all the unconditional love, belief, and support you’ve given us along the way…it truly means everything (red heart emoji)”
Mukesh Chhabra reveals 3 actors rejected Rahman Dakait's role
After Dhurandhar's release, Akshaye Khanna gained significant attention for his role as Rahman Dakait, a notorious Lyari ganglord. However, he was not the first choice for the role, in fact, he was the fourth actor approached, as three actors had earlier turned it down.
In a conversation with Bollywood Hungama, casting director Mukesh Chhabra revealed that three actors rejected the role for unusual reasons. Without naming them, he said, “Ek actor South se thhe, aur baki do Bollywood ke thhe. They gave me a very weird logic. They said, ‘Ye ensemble cast hain (This is an ensemble cast).’ ‘Ye toh Ranveer ki picture hain (This is Ranveer Singh's picture).’ I said okay leave, and Aditya [Dhar] is a cool guy and he said it is fine. He was sure about his film. I did feel bad because we think of an actor after a lot of thought.”
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