Did you know that Irrfan Khan was the first choice for Jaideep Ahlawat’s role in Maharaj? Speaking at a press conference recently, director Siddharth P Malhotra revealed that they thought Irrfan Khan was the ‘only person’ who would suit the titular role. 

‘Nobody else could play it’

Siddharth revealed that the only person they could think of to play the powerful and villainous Maharaj was the late Irrfan. “The only person we could think of for that role was Irrfan Khan. There was nobody else who could play this role but Irrfan Khan," he said.

However, they realised Jaideep could also pull off the role once they thought of him after Irrfan's demise in 2020. He said, “I kept telling Jaideep sir there’s only once actor in the entire universe who can do this, and that’s him. He can do anything, he’s one of the best actors we have, undoubtedly. It took us time to convince him to do this, it was a lot of pressure on him. He’s rightfully getting all the love he gets for every film.”

Jaideep took 3 months to re-shoot

At the press meet, Siddharth also revealed that after the shooting wrapped up, he realised Jaideep’s introductory scene needed to be re-shot. It had been five months since they had wrapped and the actor had gained weight. He told him, “I told him, don't worry Jaideep sir, I have seen lots of things which happen in VFX, usme abs daal denge, ho jayega. (We’ll add abs with VFX)”

However, he took 3 months for one day of shoot to get his body back in shape. “He said, bhai, for five-and-a-half months I have given my life to get that body. I can’t start with a fake body in my first scene. Give me three months. I said, it's just one day of shoot, not more. But he asked me to give him three months to get that body back. And he did that.”

About Maharaj

Directed by Sidharth and produced by YRF Entertainment, Maharaj features Aamir Khan's son Junaid Khan in his debut role, alongside Jaideep and Shalini Pandey, with a special appearance by Sharvari. The film is based on true events from pre-Independence India and highlights the courage of Karsandas Mulji, a social reformer who challenged the status quo in a landmark legal battle. It was released on Netflix India on June 21.

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