New Delhi: Remember Fardeen Khan, son of the late Feroz Khan? Fourteen years after Dulha Mil Gaya, Fardeen is all set to make a comeback and that too with Sanjay Leela Bhansali in his historical drama, ‘Heeramandi: The Diamond Bazar.’
In the past, the actor had opened up on how he decided to step back from the movies to focus on his health and family life. So, when the offer to be a part of the Netflix original show came his way, he was exhilarated. And there’s an interesting anecdote behind how he landed the part of Wali Mohammed, a charming nawab besotted with a nautch girl.
In an exclusive chat with News18 Showsha, Fardeen revealed how he serendipitously caught the attention of the casting director of the series while attending an event. “I was spotted at an award function by Shruti Mahajan, who has closely worked with Mr Bhansali over the years. I don’t know whether she was there or she saw me on television, but she thought that I would suit the character of Wali,” he recalls.
So, what happened next? “She called me when I got back from Abu Dhabi. She told me that she would want me to meet Mr Bhansali and his team. And since I was away from the movies for so long, they just wanted to see if I really suited the part,” says Fardeen.
Apparently, Fardeen didn’t have to go through any audition. In fact, Bhansali was impressed with his very first meeting with Fardeen. “20 minutes into the meeting, Mr Bhansali came along to take a look at me. We had met previously too. And when he was convinced, he agreed to do a look test. I couldn’t believe my luck. I was just so grateful for the opportunity,” the actor was quoted as saying.
Following the look test, the filmmaker rang him up and broke the good news to him. “He wasn’t there during my look test. My pictures were sent to him and then I got a call from him. He said, ‘Congratulations, you’re Wali Mohammad!’ It was exciting and nerve-wrecking as I hadn’t been on a set since a long time,” exclaims Fardeen.
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