At a press conference, director Siddharth P Malhotra revealed that they believed Irrfan Khan was the ‘only person’ suited for the titular role.
Siddharth revealed that the late Irrfan Khan was the only person they envisioned for the powerful and villainous Maharaj role. “We could only think of Irrfan Khan for that role. No one else could play it but him,” he said.
However, after Irrfan's passing in 2020, they realised that Jaideep could also excel in the role. Siddharth said, “I kept telling Jaideep sir that there was only one actor who could do this, and that’s him. He can do anything and is undoubtedly one of our best actors. It took some time to convince him, and there was a lot of pressure on him. He’s rightfully receiving all the praise for his performances.”
At the press meet, Siddharth also revealed that after shooting wrapped, he realised Jaideep’s introductory scene needed to be re-shot. By then, Jaideep had gained weight over the five months since filming. Siddharth reassured him, saying, “Don’t worry, Jaideep sir. I’ve seen plenty of VFX magic. We’ll add abs in post-production, and it will look great.”
However, he took three months to get his body back in shape for just one day of shooting. “He said, ‘Brother, I’ve dedicated five-and-a-half months to achieve that body. I can’t start with a fake physique in my first scene. Give me three months.’ I told him it was just one day of shooting, but he insisted on three months to get back into shape. And he did.”
