Hansal Mehta Says He Wasn't Ready To Audition Rajkummar Rao For Shahid; 'Mukesh Chhabra Told Me To Meet Him'

Rajkummar Rao and Hansal Mehta first teamed up for Shahid in 2013 and went on to work together in films like Citylights, Aligarh, Omerta and Chhalaang. Besides their professional collaborations, the duo also share a great bond off screen. However, you would be surprised to know that there was a time when Mehta was apprehensive about casting Rajkummar in their first collaboration, Shahid.

Hansal Mehta recently make this revelation in an interview with Mashable India and said that he agreed to meet the Stree actor only on the insistence of casting director Mukesh Chhabra and filmmaker Anurag Kashyap.

Hansal told the portal, "I was not ready to meet him (Rao). Anurag Kashyap and Mukesh Chhabra told me to at least meet him once. I said, 'Mil kar kya karun, paise vaise bhi nahi mil rahe picture banane ke (Why should I meet, I am anyways not getting money to make the movie)'. How will I be able to make the movie with Rajkummar Yadav, he was then named that."

The Citylights director said that Mukesh Chhabra was confident about Rajkummar Rao and one day, called him to inform that Rao was standing outside his office. He said, "Acha ladka hai, chai pilaa kar bhej dena bas'. (He is a nice boy. Just offer a cup of tea and send him away)." Hansal Mehta revealed that Rajkummar Rao walked into his office and they spoke for over an hour. The filmmaker said that after their first meeting, he was convinced about casting Rajkummar Rao in Shahid.

"I look for a vibe when I cast a person. I cast him because I liked him. There was something very beautiful about him," Mehta told the portal.

Shahid is based on the life of lawyer and human rights activist Shahid Azmi, who was assassinated in 2010. Rajkummar Rao bagged a National Award for Best Actor for this film while Hansal Mehta won the Best Director award.