Skip to content
Search

Latest Stories

Varun Dhawan was the original choice for Ali Abbas Zafar’s next with Shahid Kapoor

Varun Dhawan was the original choice for Ali Abbas Zafar’s next with Shahid Kapoor

Getting the right cast for a project is of utmost importance for any filmmaker. Everyone wants to rope in actors who they feel can do complete justice to the characters written. But it is not always the case that you get to cast the actor of your original choice. The same seems to have happened twice with filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar who is gearing up to commence work on a remake.

Buzz has it that Zafar wanted to cast actor Varun Dhawan in an ambitious superhero film. When things did not fall in place, the filmmaker offered Dhawan the official remake of Nuit Blanche. However, the Student of the Year (2012) actor could not do the project due to his packed date diary.


“After a tremendously successful journey as a director in the first decade of his career, Ali was looking to take things to the next level with a one of its kind superhero universe. He was looking to cast Varun Dhawan as one of the superheroes in the universe, however, the young dynamite was not too keen on doing the film,” a source in the know tells an entertainment portal.

The source further adds, “When things did not work out, Ali offered another subject to Varun, this time a thriller - Nuit Blanche. While Varun was excited with the idea, he did not have the dates to come on board the project as Ali wanted to kick it off this year itself. He eventually decided to move on and collaborate with Ali in the time going forward.”

Zafar then pitched the script to Shahid who readily came onboard. “Shahid heard Ali out and understood his vision to bring in a unique touch to this thriller, which is a story of a single night. It was an instant yes from Shahid and he is all in the prep mode to commence shooting from next month,” concludes the source.

Keep visiting this space over and again for more updates and reveals from the world of entertainment.

More For You

Laura Dern

The new season is being filmed in southern France during the Cannes Film Festival

Getty Images

Laura Dern reunites with Mike White as 'The White Lotus' recasts after Helena Bonham Carter’s exit

Highlights

  • Laura Dern has joined season four of The White Lotus
  • She replaces Helena Bonham Carter after her exit over creative differences
  • The new season is being filmed in southern France during the Cannes Film Festival
  • Dern previously collaborated with creator Mike White on Enlightened

Laura Dern steps into one of television’s biggest dramas

Just days after Helena Bonham Carter made an abrupt exit from The White Lotus, HBO has moved quickly by bringing in a familiar face for creator Mike White. Laura Dern has officially joined the fourth season of the Emmy-winning series, which is already filming in southern France. While Bonham Carter’s departure sparked curiosity about what happened behind the scenes, Dern’s arrival shifts the focus back to the show itself and adds another major name to one of television’s most closely watched franchises.

Why Laura Dern feels like more than a replacement

Dern’s casting stands out because this is not her first collaboration with White. The pair first worked together on Year of the Dog before reuniting for HBO’s Enlightened, which they co-created and which earned Dern a Golden Globe. That history makes her casting feel less like a quick fix following Bonham Carter’s departure and more like White turning to a long-time creative partner he trusts. Dern also brings considerable star power, having won an Academy Award for Marriage Story and starred in projects such as Jurassic Park, Wild and Big Little Lies.

Keep ReadingShow less