It’s hard to imagine Delhi Belly without Vir Das singing “Jaa Chudail”, Kunal Roy Kapur sprinting in a burqa, and Imran Khan’s bug-eyed constipation. But as it turns out, the cult classic could’ve looked very different. In a new behind-the-scenes video on Aamir Khan’s YouTube channel, director Abhinay Deo, writer Akshat Verma, and actor Vir Das open up about the film’s wild casting process and all the curveballs along the way.
Turns out, Vir Das was never supposed to play Arup. “Technically, when we started the casting, Vir was meant to play Tashi, Imran’s character,” Akshat revealed. To which Vir added, “Which would have never worked out.” Perhaps, that is why he ended up auditioning nine times for the film. “For me, the Delhi Belly process was that unknown number, because I auditioned 9 times and every time I used to get a call from some new landline at Aamir Khan Productions.” In fact, that wasn’t even the only film he was testing for that year. “I auditioned 6 times for 3 Idiots, 5 auditions for Rock On!! and 9 auditions for Delhi Belly,” he said. “Delhi Belly and Rock On!! fell on the same dates and I was getting Purab Kohli’s role, but I chose Delhi Belly over it.”
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Meanwhile, Kunal Roy Kapur wasn’t even in the running initially. The team had their eyes on his brother, Aditya Roy Kapur, but things took a turn. “Kunal was never meant to do the film,” they shared. But when he walked in, he fit right into the film’s chaotic spirit and the rest was history.
Even Vijay Raaz’s now-iconic gangster role almost went a different route. “We wanted Aamir to play that character,” the team said, “but he was more interested in Kunal’s role.” Eventually, Vijay Raaz was cast and brought his signature deadpan brilliance. Aamir Khan, instead, ended up doing a cameo as Disco Fighter, which, let’s be honest, became a legendary moment in its own right.
