Abhishek Chaubey's directorial debut, Ishqiya, released in 2010, featured a notable cast including Naseeruddin Shah, Arshad Warsi, and Vidya Balan. Nevertheless, during an interview with Mashable, Abhishek disclosed that the original casting plans were significantly altered.

Irrfan and Preity's decision to exit the situation raises questions

Initially, Pankaj Tripathi was intended to portray Khalujan, a role that ultimately went to Naseeruddin Shah, while Irrfan Khan was slated to play Babban, a part later assumed by Arshad Warsi. At different stages, Lara Dutta was considered for the project, but Preity Zinta was ultimately chosen. She had reviewed an earlier version of the script, expressed her enthusiasm for it, and agreed to participate. Abhishek recounted that he departed for New York feeling quite pleased with the strength of the narrative. However, during his time there, he learned that Preity had withdrawn from the project.

While in New York, Abhishek also encountered Irrfan, who was filming in the area. Irrfan expressed concerns that the modifications to the script were detrimental to his character, leading Abhishek to realize that Irrfan might not proceed with the role. He noted that while significant positive developments occurred with the script, unfortunate events transpired behind the scenes. Upon returning to Mumbai, Abhishek cast Vidya in the role of Krishna, followed by Naseeruddin Shah, who joined the project due to his longstanding relationship with Abhishek, stemming from the latter's role as an Assistant Director on Vishal Bhardwaj's 2003 cult classic, Maqbool, in which Shah played a supporting character.

Naseeruddin Shah's reluctance

Naseeruddin Shah was initially reluctant to take on the role, expressing his uncertainty to Abhishek by questioning whether he was certain about the decision, as the actor admitted to never having performed a romantic scene on screen. Nevertheless, he not only portrayed a romantic interest opposite Vidya in Ishqiya but also in Milan Luthria's acclaimed 2011 period drama, The Dirty Picture.

Ishqiya subsequently evolved into a franchise, with Abhishek directing Dedh Ishqiya in 2014, where Naseeruddin and Arshad reprised their original roles, joined by Madhuri Dixit and Huma Qureshi.

In addition, Abhishek's most recent directorial project was the Netflix India black comedy series Killer Soup, featuring a cast that included Manoj Bajpayee, Konkona Sen Sharma, Kani Kusruti, and Nasser, among others.

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