Did you know this was not what Rajiv had planned as his first big project? Rather, it was Shah Rukh Khan and Rajkumar Hirani's Dunki that Thakur had in mind for his big Bollywood debut
In Pic: Rajiv Thakur
Building an entire career by being called a comedian and then entering the world of cinema with a negative role and making it convincing was definitely not an easy bet, but Rajiv Thakur has managed to wow the audience with his work in Anubhav Sinha's IC-814: The Kandahar Hijack. However, did you know this was not what Rajiv had planned as his first big project? Rather, it was Shah Rukh Khan and Rajkumar Hirani's Dunki that Thakur had in mind for his big Bollywood debut, but some things are not meant to be. In an interview with us on Mid-Day.com, Rajiv Thakur opened up about being offered a part in Rajkumar Hirani's Dunki, working with Mukesh Chhabra, Anubhav Sinha, and more.
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Rajiv Thakur Reveals Being Offered a Role in Dunki
Rajiv Thakur shares a very close bond with casting director Mukesh Chhabra. He had often asked Chhabra for work, and when it came to casting someone for Hirani's Dunki, Mukesh offered Rajiv a part and he even received a callback, saying Hirani wanted to meet him. The actor shared, "For the past year and a half, I had been pestering Paaji (Mukesh Chhabra) to at least take my audition. I would say, 'Even if you reject me, at least take the audition.' But he would always reply, 'I'll give you something when a role suited to you comes along.' So, I always thought that maybe a comedy role would come, and that’s when he’d give me a chance."
"He had even given me a role in Dunki. I had cleared the auditions & received a call saying I had a meeting with Rajkumar Hirani. It was for one of the three friends. I was really happy, but the call never came again. That really hurt me, thinking that even if I got rejected, at least there should’ve been a meeting," Thakur further added.
Getting the Role of a Terrorist in IC 814
After giving an amazing audition and landing the role of a terrorist in IC 814: the Kandahar Hijack, Thakur couldn't stop himself from asking Chhabra why he called him for the role of a terrorist, and the story that unfolded will blow your mind. Rajiv told us, "When my audition happened, I asked Mukesh Paaji how he even thought of me. He told me that he was under a lot of pressure and went to relax in his office, where he was watching reels. He came across one of my reels, and that’s when I came to his mind. Now, imagine, he must’ve seen a comedy reel of mine and thought, 'Let's give him a role.'"
Anubhav Sinha Got Pissed After Seeing Rajiv's Audition
Rajiv recalled asking Anubhav Sinha how he agreed to cast him and shared, "Anubhav sir told me, 'I got so frustrated watching your audition. I called Mukesh and asked, "Why did you send me Rajiv’s audition?" To which Mukesh replied, "Why, wasn’t it good?" Anubhav Sir then told him, "It was good, that’s why I’m calling you! Do you know my show is serious? If the audience sees Rajiv and starts laughing, my entire show will be ruined." That’s when Mukesh Chhabra convinced Anubhav Sir to cast me, and I’m thankful to both of them.'
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