Author Chetan Bhagat, who is known for penning bestsellers like Five Point Someone, The 3 Mistakes of My Life, and 2 States, recently opened up about the early casting choices for 2 States and how the project underwent several changes before hitting the big screen.Recalling the initial days of 2 States, Chetan revealed that filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj was once attached to direct the project, and several top Bollywood stars were in talks for the lead roles.“There was a time Vishal Bharadwaj was going to make it. There was a time when Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, and Priyanka Chopra’s names were talked about. I think 2 States sabhi ke naam ka article to aaya hi tha,” he told Pinkvilla.When asked whether he was initially disappointed with the final casting and later surprised by the performances, the author admitted he had some doubts at first.“To be honest, when they said, there is a new director and it’s Arjun Kapoor who had one movie and Alia Bhatt who had one movie, Student Of The Year. I was like ‘okay’, but this is not what was discussed.”Chetan further added that his apprehensions vanished once he saw how well the fresh pairing worked on screen.“It was such a nice casting, and it made the movie fresh because they were young. If it were older actors, I don’t know, maybe they would have done a great job. But it was very surprising.”
“Every actor had said no to Kai Po Che”
The writer also revealed an interesting anecdote about his other book adaptation, Kai Po Che!, which went on to become one of his most beloved stories.“Every actor had said no to Kai Po Che! Later, Sushant Singh Rajput, Rajkummar Rao and Amit Sadh played the lead roles and made the film immortal,” he said, calling Kai Po Che! the best adaptation of his work so far.
When Shah Rukh Khan’s humility impressed Chetan Bhagat
During the conversation, Bhagat fondly recalled a gesture by Shah Rukh Khan that left a lasting impression on him.“I went to the Om Shanti Om sets with my mother, and Shah Rukh himself pulled a chair for me,” Chetan shared, adding that SRK’s humility stood out despite his superstar status.He further recalled another instance when he visited the actor’s home along with filmmaker Mohit Suri.“When Mohit and I visited Shah Rukh’s residence, he accompanied us to our car to say goodbye. That made us feel very special and close,” he said. Go to Source
