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Angry Vishal Bhardwaj didn’t speak to Irrfan for years after he rejected Ishqiya: ‘Terrible things happened behind the scenes’

Actors like Irrfan, Preity Zinta, and Lara Dutta refused to star in Abhishek Chaubey’s directorial debut Ishqiya, which eventually starred Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi and Vidya Balan in lead roles.

Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi and Vidya Balan in a still from Ishqiya. (Pic: Shemaroo Movies/YT)

Abhishek Chaubey’s Ishqiya didn’t just leave a mark—it reshaped the careers of its lead trio, Vidya Balan, Arshad Warsi, and Naseeruddin Shah. It gave Shah a rare romantic turn on screen, finally pushed the conversation around Vidya beyond just her weight to her undeniable acting prowess, and handed Arshad a much-needed hit after Golmaal Returns. But here’s the kicker—none of them were the first choice for the film! Ishqiya made the rounds in Bollywood before landing in their laps, with stars like Pankaj Tripathi, Irrfan Khan, Preity Zinta, and Lara Dutta all passing up the chance.

While it’s difficult to imagine anyone but Arshad Warsi as Babban, Abhishek Chaubey initially envisioned Irrfan in the role. Though Irrfan was intrigued by the film’s concept, as Ishqiya evolved into a full-fledged script, he felt his character wasn’t as well-developed in the final version. Speaking to Mashable India, Abhishek revealed, “While I was writing Ishqiya, the film had a completely different casting. Pankaj ji was playing Khalujan (Shah’s role in the film) and Irrfan was playing Babban. At various points Lara Dutta was approached but Preity Zinta had read the earlier draft and had liked it a lot and she was on board.”

Abhishek got to know that Preity has left the project after he cracked the final script. A similar situation unfolded with Irrfan. Recalling the moment, Abhishek shared that Irrfan invited him to a fancy hotel in New York, where he listened to the new version of the film. “Irrfan heard the new version of the film and he sensed that this version isn’t in favour of his character. This was the first time I sensed that Irrfan won’t do my film.” He added, “While wonderful things happened on the script, terrible things happened behind the scenes.”

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Also read | How Abhishek Chaubey’s Dedh Ishqiya fulfilled Naseeruddin Shah’s wish of playing a romantic role

Irrfan rejecting Ishqiya strained his long-standing equation with Vishal Bhardwaj, who co-wrote the film with Abhishek Chaubey, Gulzar, and others. In an interview, Vishal admitted he was so upset that he didn’t speak to Irrfan for years. What made it worse? Vishal had already turned down a major actress for the film because she refused to work with Irrfan. Believing that wasn’t fair, he chose to drop the actress but keep Irrfan—only for Irrfan to back out as well.

He shared with Lallantop, “We had said no to a big actress for Ishqiya because she had refused to work with Irrfan as he wasn’t a commercial actor. I got very angry with him and didn’t speak to him for 2-3 years. I didn’t pick up his calls.”

After Irrfan and other actors backed out, Abhishek and Vishal shifted their focus to finding the right cast. “We considered several actors before approaching Vidya. She read the script and agreed instantly,” Abhishek recalled. With Vidya locked in, Naseeruddin Shah became the natural choice for Khalujan. “I had worked with Naseer bhai as an AD on Maqbool and Omkara, so I had a rapport with him. But even he was surprised and asked, ‘Are you sure you want to cast me? I haven’t done romance in films.’” Finally, Arshad Warsi also came on board.

Ishqiya was both a critical and commercial success. Its sequel, Dedh Ishqiya, carried forward the legacy, bringing Madhuri Dixit and Huma Qureshi into the fold alongside Shah and Warsi.

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