Model and actor Muzammil Ibrahim has revealed that he was originally considered for a role in Ayan Mukerji’s hit film Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani (2013). In an interview, Muzammil claimed that director Ayan Mukerji wrote the film with him in mind and had even discussed casting decisions with him early on.
Muzammil Ibrahim On Ayan Mukerji
“Ayan liked me a lot. He told me that he was writing Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani keeping me in mind,” Muzammil said. He added that it was Kiran Rao who introduced him to Ayan after noticing his performance in his debut film Dhokha.
According to Muzammil Ibrahim, he was considered for the role that eventually went to Aditya Roy Kapur.
When asked if his past relationship with Deepika Padukone had any influence, Muzammil clarified, “This had nothing to do with Deepika.” He even supported her casting: “Deepika was the right cast for that film and I told him the same thing.”
Muzammil On The Casting Process
He went on to say that things went south after casting agents entered the process. “Ayan told me that he will give me the script to read… The casting agents really messed things up. They have their own agendas. As long as it was just me and Ayan, things were great.”
He explained that miscommunication and possible favouritism by casting agents caused confusion. “There was a misunderstanding between me and Ayan… They did a lot of favouritism.”
Muzammil admitted he hesitated to clarify things directly with Ayan. “Maybe I should have said something. I felt Ranbir and Ayan were very good friends… I was thinking, is my role too tiny?”
He also compared his debut performance to Ranbir Kapoor’s in Saawariya. “I believe my performance in Dhokha was better than Ranbir’s in Saawariya,” he said. Muzammil feels that he has been ignored by the industry and overlooked at times, all because he is an outsider.
This sentiment of his has struck a chord with people who are struggling in the industry even today. Muzammil’s story just shows another dark side of the film industry, which, from afar, seems all happy and glamorous.