Niki Walia Reveals She Was First Approached for Shefali Shah’s Role in ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’: ‘Zoya Akhtar ne mujhe UK se khaas fly karke bulaya tha’ | Hindi Movie News

Niki Walia has revealed that she was originally cast in Zoya Akhtar’s 2015 film ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’, in the role that ultimately went to Shefali Shah. The actress opened up about how close she came to playing Neelam, the wife of Anil Kapoor’s character, before the project was suddenly taken away from her. Let’s take a look at what she has to say.

Niki Walia says Shefali Shah replaced her in ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’

In a conversation with Buzzzooka Prime, Niki Walia shared that she was already quite far along in the casting process. According to her, Zoya Akhtar had even flown her in specially from the UK for the role.She said, “Woh yaha tak aakar, wapas le liya gaya mujhse. Unke apne reasons honge. But meri cruise ki date sab fixed this. Sab kuch ho gaya tha. Zoya Akhtar ne mujhe UK se khaas fly karke bulaya tha.”

Niki Walia remembers Zoya Akhtar’s call

In the same conversation, Niki Walia went on to describe how far the process had come before things changed. She said: “We did the scene readings, everything. They agreed. They even took my passport. The dates were also booked. And I was coming home after meeting them in India to prepare my family for the fact that I would be on a cruise for two or three months.”She further shared, “Then the day before I left, Zoya called me and said, ‘Niki, I’m so sorry, but due to an internal decision, we are not going to go ahead with you’. I always have this thought that I wish I had gotten that role. But that’s okay. What doesn’t happen, doesn’t happen. What’s meant to be is what’s meant to be.”While Niki admitted that she was disappointed, especially since everything seemed finalized by then, she was quick to clarify that she never made the decision against Zoya Akhtar or the team.

Why was Shefali Shah finally given the role?

Reflecting on the casting change, Niki Walia said she believes it ultimately came down to a creative decision. She feels that the creators perhaps felt her screen presence was too strong for the character they envisioned.She said: “I felt like I was completely right for the character, but I think they made that decision creatively because maybe they felt that between my personality and Shefali’s, maybe I seemed stronger. They may have felt that the wife needed to come across as someone who could appear vulnerable.”The actress added, “Maybe because that is also Shefali ji’s zone – she does sentimental roles and vulnerable characters. So it was a creative decision. Who am I to question it? But yes, I regret the missed opportunity.”Niki Walia expressed that she still wishes she had had the opportunity to play the role.‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ starred Anil Kapoor, Shefali Shah, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Anushka Sharma and Farhan Akhtar.