‘Naseeruddin Shah should’ve slapped me’: Imtiaz recalls tense shoot, ‘scared’ Diljit Dosanjh left

While talking to The Hollywood Reporter, he shared, “He is the kind of actor who, if you say something, there will be a change instantly. After a beautiful take (for the climax), when he was finished, exhausted everything, I remember telling Diljit that I was going to ask for one more take from him. Diljit said, ‘Oh baap rey, main toh bahar jaa raa hu, aap maanglo, all the best sir!'”

Imtiaz Ali continued, “Then Naseer said, ‘What nonsense… how can I do another take, what (exactly) do you want?!’ I said something and then he agreed. He is like a kid; he reacts like that. Because it (the scene) is painful, and he is doing it with full intensity, which isn’t easy. But he did it.”

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However, despite asking him for another take, the director eventually used the first take of that scene. “He is someone I am genuinely excited for people to see on screen because I have never seen him like this in any film. I didn’t want to cast him just to play a version of who we think he is. There has to be something new for a Naseeruddin Shah, because the man has already done everything,” he said.

About Main Vaapas Aaunga

Main Vaapas Aaunga is a romantic love story, set during the partition era. The trailer of the film showcased Naseeruddin Shah narrating his unfulfilled love story to Diljit Dosanjh. While Vedang Raina plays Shah’s younger version in the movie, Sharvari portrays his lover. The film is set to hit the theatres on June 12.