Before Sonu Sood, Farah Khan approached two top action stars for a role in Happy New Year, but they rejected.
Director Farah Khan, known for directing commercial blockbusters, has faced several rejections while finalising the casting for her films. Despite helming Main Hoon Na (2004) and Om Shanti Om (2007), Farah had to hear no from top Bollywood stars when she was making Happy New Year (2014).
Recently, Farah interacted with casting director Mukesh Chhabra on his chat show and opened up about the difficulties she faced in the pre-production stage of Happy New Year. Farah admitted she never faced issues casting Shah Rukh Khan for the lead. But for supporting roles. In the heist comedy-drama, Shah Rukh Khan was supported by an ensemble cast, including Deepika Padukone, Boman Irani, Abhishek Bachchan, Vivan Shah, and Sonu Sood.
For Sonu Sood's character, Farah had to face rejection from the biggest of action stars. Sonu wasn't the first choice for the character, and he was cast into the film at the last moment.
Before Sonu Sood, Farah approached...
On Mukesh's show, Farah revealed that she approached John Abraham first for the role, but he rejected the film. "I needed someone who looks huge, so I approached John, but he refused," Farah added that after John, she approached Vidyut Jammwal for the role, but he also rejected to become a supporting cast member in the Shah Rukh Khan-starrer. The director revealed Sonu was shooting for It's Entertainment in Bangkok, and Farah finalised him at the last moment.
Farah Khan on Main Hoon Na
Farah revealed that her debut film was rejected by multiple actors, including a pan-India star. For Zayed Khan's Laxman Prasad Sharma, Farah approached Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, and Sohail Khan. Speaking about it, "Before Zayed, Hrithik was doing it. This was before Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai. After the film released Hrithik-Hrithik ban gaya. Then I went to Abhishek Bachchan, but nahi ho paya, then Sohail Khan. Zayed ka casting ek dum last-minute mein hua."
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 "The actors who rejected Happy New Year")
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