This Gangster is too old for Neil
Barely days after excitedly unveiling Neil Nitin Mukesh as the “gangster” in Sahib Biwi Aur Gangster’s sequel, it seems like Tigmanshu Dhulia is doing a volte-face. The buzz is that Neil may be replaced by Irrfan Khan in this film. And while details and confirmation are yet to come in, it seems it was more Neil’s decision than Tigmanshu’s.
“Neil had played an older person in 7 Khoon Maaf just a year ago and didn’t want to get into the same space all over again,” reveals a source close to Neil, “Though 7 Khoon Maaf got him critical acclaim, he didn’t want to make it a trend.”
And given that Tigmanshu was also sure that the character would be an older man, Neil decided to opt out. “Neil was disappointed, but it was a mutual decision and there was no bad blood. And in any case, he’s got good films lined up, including Abbas-Mustan’s remake of Baazigar. He’s fine playing grey characters and thrillers, as it’s been his forte. The only thing he is certain about is playing younger roles at this stage of his career,” the source continues.
When contacted, Neil was forthcoming about his exit. He said, “Frankly, I didn’t want to get into the 7 Khoon Maaf zone. With the kind of line-up I have, I would rather play my age instead of getting into an experimental mode just to prove a point.”
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