Big B recommended my name, Jaya ji was original choice: Shefali Shah on 'Waqt'
Here's the latest update from the Bollywood world:
New Delhi, Shefali Shah says her husband Vipul Shah had advised her against taking the role of a mother in his 2005 directorial "Waqt" when she was barely in her 30s but she ended up doing the part after other casting choices fell through and Amitabh Bachchan recommended her name.
Adding to this, Big B recommended my name, Jaya ji was original choice: Shefali Shah on 'Waqt' In the movie, she played Akshay Kumar's mother though she was younger than him in real life. Her casting raised eyebrows at the time and ended up affecting the kind of roles that came her way.
Meanwhile, Shah has now looked back at this chapter in her debut book, "The Audacity of Being: A Sort-of Memoir".
Notably, According to the 53-year-old star, Vipul originally wanted veteran star Jaya Bachchan for the role. Hema Malini was also considered, but the idea was eventually dropped as it felt too similar to the Amitabh Bachchan-Hema Malini starrer "Baghban", which was rolled out in 2003.
As per the latest buzz, "The mother, Sumi, was the anchor of the story the silent strength between the father and the son. Vipul had originally wanted Jaya ji, but that did not work out. Hema Malini ji was another great choice, but it felt too much like a repeat of 'Baghban', a movie that Amit ji and Hema ji had done only a while ago," Shah wrote.
In further updates, "Waqt: The race against time", which also starred Priyanka Chopra, was based on "Aavjo Vhala, Fari Malishu" , a play written and directed by Aatish Kapadia.
On top of that, Shah shared she fell in love with the character of Sumi after watching the play and eventually asked Vipul if she could play the role.
"He flat out shared no and insisted it would not work, warning me that it would label me as a 'mother' on screen forever," she wrote.
Source: Hindustan Times