The 2014 romantic comedy 2 States, starring Alia Bhatt and Arjun Kapoor in the lead roles, became one of the most loved films at the time. The movie is based on a 2009 book of the same name by popular author Chetan Bhagat. Though it was a new on-screen pairing, Alia and Arjun’s tandem in the movie ended up being very well-received and a box office hit.
However, Chetan Bhagat recently revealed that he was initially unhappy with the casting. He also admitted that Shah Rukh Khan and Priyanka Chopra were initially considered for the lead roles.
Chetan Bhagat Talks About SRK & Priyanka Chopra’s Casting In 2 States
In a conversation with Pinkvilla a couple of months ago, Chetan Bhagat revealed some interesting insights about the casting decisions for 2 States. He shared, “There was a time Vishal Bharadwaj [director] was going to make it. There was a time when Shah Rukh Khan, Saif Ali Khan, and Priyanka Chopra’s names were talked about.”
Bhagat cited that these names were regularly floated in media articles and news reports. That’s why he was unsure about the casting of Arjun Kapoor and Alia Bhatt, who had just begun their acting career.
“To be honest, when they said, there is a new director, and it’s Arjun Kapoor, who had one movie, Ishaqzaade, and Alia Bhatt, who had one movie, Student Of The Year. I was like, ‘Okay, but this is not what we discussed,’” he added.
However, the novelist eventually came to peace with the casting decision and admitted that new faces added a refreshing element to the film. He concluded, “It was such wonderful casting, and it made the movie feel new because they [Arjun and Alia] were youthful. If it had been older actors, I don’t know, maybe they would have done a great job. But it was very surprising.”
Chetan Bhagat On Kai Po Che!
Talking about another movie adaptation of his book, Chetan Bhagat shared that Kai Po Che! was initially turned down by several actors before Sushant Singh Rajput, Rajkumar Rao, and Amit Sadh came on board. He went on to call Kai Po Che! his book’s best adaptation.
However, the writer has stopped writing screenplays for Bollywood movies. He revealed the reasons why he left the industry in the podcast as well.
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