Director Mohit Suri is enjoying the buzz around his latest film, Saiyaara, which features newcomers Ahaan Panday and Aneet Padda. Interestingly, Suri has admitted he was close to turning down Ahaan for the lead role of Krish Kapoor.
But that changed when he saw Ahaan off-camera, relaxed and unguarded—that’s when Suri realized he’d found his character.
Aditya Roy Kapur wore chappals for Aashiqui 2 audition
Mohit Suri has similar stories from earlier in his career. While talking to Siddharth Kannan, he opened up about casting Aditya Roy Kapur in Aashiqui 2.
Initially, the team had organised a nationwide search for fresh faces, but it didn’t go as planned. Just when things looked bleak, one of Suri’s assistants suggested Aditya Roy Kapur. Aditya didn’t know much about Suri at the time—Ranbir Kapoor just told him, “Go meet him, he’s a good director.”
Aditya showed up for the audition in shorts, slippers with socks, and a casual shirt. During their conversation, Aditya spun around on a revolving chair, hardly the polished audition the team expected.
Mohit Suri remembers that his assistants were put off by Aditya’s laid-back attitude, calling it unprofessional. But Suri saw something different—he saw the character Rahul Jaykar come alive.
As he put it, “If this guy had arrived in a fancy car instead of on a bike, he’d be exactly who I imagined for Rahul Jaykar. Sometimes, the best casting choices reveal themselves when no one’s performing for the camera.”
Aditya Roy Kapur was not the first choice for Aashiqui 2
You might not know this, but Emraan Hashmi—Mahesh Bhatt’s own find and Mohit Suri’s first leading man—was actually the initial pick for the main role in Aashiqui 2. Wild, right?
But here’s the twist: Emraan turned it down. Back in the 2010s, the guy was pretty much untouchable after Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai. He was stacking up hits left and right—The Dirty Picture, Jannat 2, Raaz 3, Murder 2, you name it. So, when Aashiqui 2 came his way, he said no. That’s how Aditya Roy Kapur ended up landing the part.
Talking to Lallantop, Emraan actually opened up about missing out on films that later turned into massive blockbusters, and yeah, he mentioned Aashiqui 2 by name. When they asked why he passed, Emraan explained that both Mahesh Bhatt and Mohit Suri thought he was perfect for the role, but he just didn’t see himself in it.
He said, “Aashiqui is a franchise that works best with fresh faces. The original worked because people didn’t have any preconceived notions about the leads, just like Rahul Roy and Anu Aggarwal back then. Aashiqui 2 needed actors without a set public image. That’s why I turned it down.”
Aashiqui 2, which starred Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor, was directed by Suri and produced by Mahesh Bhatt, Mukesh Bhatt, Bhushan Kumar, and Krishan Kumar under Vishesh Films and T-Series Films.
The movie, released in 2013, focused on the troubled love story between a fading singer and an aspiring artist, and went on to become a major box office hit.
