Muzammil Ibrahim is making headlines recently after his revelations on dating Deepika Padukone for 2 years when she had just come to Mumbai. In a recent revelation, the actor-model, Muzammil Ibrahim opened up about his missed opportunity in the 2013 iconic and most loved film, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. Muzammil Ibrahim claims that the director of the film, Ayan Mukherji wrote the script keeping Ibrahim in mind but the role eventually went to Aditya Roy Kapur. He also revealed that he was the one who suggested Deepika’s name for the role, despite their past relationship.
The close bond between Ayan Mukherji and Muzammil Ibrahim
In a conversation with Siddharth Kanan, Muzammil revealed that the filmmaker, Kiran Rao noticed his work in Dhokha, which was released in 2007, and introduced him to Ayan. According to Muzammil, Ayan was impressed and instantly told him that he is writing his film keeping him in mind and Muzammil would be seen doing the role of ‘Avinash’ aka ‘Avi’, which was eventually played by Aditya Roy Kapur in the film. In his words:
“Ayan liked me a lot. He told me he was writing Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani keeping me in mind.”
Muzammil Ibrahim recommended Deepika Padukone’s name
Apart from claiming that he was the first choice for the character of ‘Avi’, Muzammil Ibrahim also claimed that the casting agents had not entered into the picture, so Ayan used to discuss casting with him and he suggested Deepika’s name for the role despite the relationship he had with her. He was asked if his relationship with Deepika was a reason he didn’t get the role, on which he clarified that it was not the reason for him not getting the role, it was the casting agents. He said:
“Ayan would often discuss casting options with me, like whether to go with Deepika or Katrina. I told him Deepika was the right choice.”
Casting agents messed it up for Muzammil Ibrahim
According to Muzammil Ibrahim, the idea and the entire picture of the film, Ye Jawani Hai Deewani, changed when the casting agents entered into it. He believes that they disturbed the direct communication between Ayan and him which led to him missing this opportunity. Muzammil said that ‘Ayan told me he’d give me the script, but once the casting agents came in, they really messed things up. They had their own agendas.’ He believes that favouritism and behind-the-scenes politics led to his rejection. He also said that he didn’t follow up on the matter, thinking that the role might have been too small or that Ayan’s friendship with Ranbir Kapoor had influenced the decision. He also believes now that he should have spoken up and talked about this with Ayan but at that time he didn’t know how to navigate politics and now he sees his hesitation at that time as a missed opportunity.
Recent revelations by Muzammil Ibrahim on Deepika Padukone and on his debut
In the same interview with Siddharth Kanan, Muzammil Ibrahim made a lot of other revelations too. One of them was his relationship with Deepika Padukone that lasted for two long years, which was before Deepika became a major bollywood star. Muzammil said that their relationship ended on mutual terms and that he had no bitterness. His respect for Deepika’s talent and professionalism remained intact, even after their personal equation changed. Another shocking revelation he made was that he made his debut in the same year as Ranbir Kapoor and he felt that he deserved the debut award for Dhokha, more than Ranbir Kapoor for Sawariyan. He believes that his performance was stronger than Ranbir Kapoor.
What do you think about this revelation? Do you think Muzammil Ibrahim could have pulled off the character of ‘Avi’ better than Aditya Roy Kapur? Let us know.
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