Wednesday, July 2, 2025

NOT Shahid Kapoor, Riz Ahmed was the first choice for Udta Punjab’s Tommy Singh, Deets inside

Must Read

Paresh Rawal breaks silence on Hera Pheri 3 exit drama: “It’s all resolved now”

The Hera Pheri 3 saga has kept Bollywood fans on edge for weeks, but it seems the dust has...

Disney confirms Lilo & Stitch 2 after live-action remake storms past $915 Million worldwide

After a spectacular $182 million debut over Memorial Day weekend, Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch remake has officially crossed...

From slow start to stellar surge: Sitaare Zameen Par locks ₹50 Cr after dramatic Saturday jump

Aamir Khan’s Sitaare Zameen Par has pulled off an impressive turnaround at the box office. Despite lukewarm advance bookings...

Released in 2016, the Indian black comedy crime drama, Udta Punjab, created hype and a lot of controversies for its content. However, despite the resistance, the movie turned out to be one of the best performances of the lead cast including Shahid Kapoor, who appeared in a completely different avatar. However, it was recently learnt that Shahid was not the first choice for Udta Punjab.

In the Abhishek Chaubey directorial, Shahid Kapoor played the character of a drug addict and successful Punjabi singer, Tommy Singh. His portrayal of the character with a never-before-seen avatar was loved by one and all just like his onscreen character. While we cannot imagine any other actor playing the character of Tommy Singh with the same brilliance, Sudip Sharma recently opened up that they were against casting a Bollywood actor for Tommy Singh initially.

In a conversation with Film Companion, the writer of the movie, Sudip Sharma, said that he wanted to bring Riz Ahmed on board after watching his performance in the American neo-noir thriller, Nightcrawler, and he was trying to convince the director. “We never thought of a Bollywood actor for that role (Tommy Singh). We thought, why don’t we go for a British-South Asian character? Because we really wanted that whole London thing in it. And Riz is a great actor,” he said.

Sudip further stated that Riz Ahmed was not a globally renowned name when Udta Punjab was made. “And I remember walking out of Nightcrawler – he had a small-ish part in that film. He wasn’t that big a star, so we weren’t being that unrealistic and foolish about it,” he added.

However, Shahid Kapoor was later approached to play his part in Udta Punjab and Riz Ahmed found his recognition with the Belgian-American indie film, Sound Of Metal, which went on to win two Academy Awards from six nominations.

Download EntNetwrk App for more updates.

Latest News

Disney confirms Lilo & Stitch 2 after live-action remake storms past $915 Million worldwide

After a spectacular $182 million debut over Memorial Day weekend, Disney’s live-action Lilo & Stitch remake has officially crossed a jaw-dropping $915 million at...

From slow start to stellar surge: Sitaare Zameen Par locks ₹50 Cr after dramatic Saturday jump

Aamir Khan’s Sitaare Zameen Par has pulled off an impressive turnaround at the box office. Despite lukewarm advance bookings and a strategic late start—with...

“The Return of the Sardaar”: Ajay Devgn is back in style with Son of Sardaar 2

Get ready for double the action and double the madness—Ajay Devgn is all set to make a thunderous comeback as Jassi in Son of...

Aamir Khan’s Big Return: Will Sitaare Zameen Par shine at the box office?

After a three-year hiatus, Aamir Khan is making a heartfelt comeback with Sitaare Zameen Par, the spiritual sequel to his acclaimed 2007 drama Taare...

More Articles Like This