Upcoming film ‘Katti Batti’ starring Kangana Ranaut and Imran Khan is probably one of the few films of Kangana’s career where she was cast after the hero was signed. For the longest time, usually she would be the first one who got cast first.
As Kangana had told Pinkvilla earlier, “I don’t see many films that I am approached for where I get to hear, 'Ok, this person’s on board and now we want you'."
So Imran was cast first for ‘Katti Batti’, and director Nikhil Advani, according to the hero, had a tough time finding his leading lady since Imran’s career was on a downslide post debacle of Karan Johar’s ‘Gori Tere Pyaar Mein’, with Kareena Kapoor.
“I had signed ‘Katti Batti’ shortly after ‘Gori Tere Pyaar Mein’. And after the film bombed, I was getting a lot of bad press. More than one person was writing my obituary saying, Iska toh time khatam ho gaya. The first actress Nikhil approached, told us upfront that ‘I’m finished' so she won’t work with me. But Nikhil didn’t relent. The next actress he contacted, suggested that the makers work with her and her boyfriend as it will make a good jodi."
So when Nikhil approached Kangana, Imran says, he was all prepared what to say. “Before Kangana could say anything, the director told her that the hero was Imran and he can’t change that. If she was interested, she can join the cast as the leading lady.”
Imran continued, “Kangana gave me an interesting perspective on this. She was at a major high after the success of 'Gangster', Life In A...Metro, 'Woh Lamhe'... she was the next big thing and the hottest actress of Bollywood. But subsequently there was a string of flops and suddenly people started writing her off. There were a dozen heroes who didn’t want to do films with her. Kangana told me that after what she went through, she can’t say or behave the same way what the others did.”