Jobaaj Stories
Abhishek Chaubey’s 2010 film Ishqiya was a bold and unforgettable entry into the world of Indian cinema. The film, featuring Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi, and Vidya Balan, was a major success. However, in a recent interview with Mashable, Abhishek revealed that the film's original cast was quite different from what we eventually saw on screen.
According to Abhishek, Pankaj Tripathi was initially cast as Khalujan, a character later played by Naseeruddin Shah. Similarly, Irrfan Khan was supposed to play Babban, a role ultimately taken by Arshad Warsi. As for the female lead, while Lara Dutta was considered, Preity Zinta was the first to sign on. She had read an early draft of the script and was excited about the project. "I was thrilled when Preity came on board. I then left for New York, feeling confident that the project was solid," Abhishek shared.
However, things took a turn while Abhishek was abroad. He received news that Preity had decided to leave the film. When Abhishek later met Irrfan Khan in New York, he discovered that changes to the script were affecting the role of his character. "He felt the changes weren't in his favor, and that’s when I realized he probably wouldn’t do it either," said Abhishek, recalling the tough phase behind the scenes.
Back in Mumbai, Abhishek decided to cast Vidya Balan as Krishna, and Naseeruddin Shah, a longtime collaborator from his time as an Assistant Director on Vishal Bhardwaj’s Maqbool, came on board to play Khalujan. However, even Naseeruddin was initially unsure about his role. He confessed to Abhishek that he had never romanced anyone on screen before. Despite his hesitation, Naseeruddin went on to not only romance Vidya Balan in Ishqiya but also in the popular 2011 film The Dirty Picture.
The changes in casting worked out, with Ishqiya eventually becoming a cult favorite. It also led to a sequel, Dedh Ishqiya (2014), directed by Abhishek, which featured Naseeruddin Shah and Arshad Warsi reprising their roles, and introduced Madhuri Dixit and Huma Qureshi.
Abhishek’s most recent directorial venture was the Netflix India series Killer Soup, a dark comedy starring Manoj Bajpayee, Konkona Sen Sharma, Kani Kusruti, and Nasser among others.
