Bakhtiyaar Irani opens up about last-minute exclusion from Sara Ali Khan’s Ae Watan Mere Watan: ‘It came as a big surprise’
Sara Ali Khan’s Ae Watan Mere Watan was released on Amazon Prime Video on March 21, 2024. The biopic received positive responses from both fans and critics. Now, several months after its release, actor Bakhtiyaar Irani has made a shocking revelation that he was replaced by a more prominent actor in the Dharma Productions movie.
Bakhtiyaar Irani says he was dropped last minute from Ae Watan Mere Watan
Actor Bakhtiyaar Irani revealed that he was initially supposed to feature in Sara Ali Khan’s historical biopic, Ae Watan Mere Watan, but was replaced at the last minute by a more prominent actor. During an appearance on Inside The Mind With Rushabh, Irani shared that he was asked to lose weight for the role because he was considered too bulky.
He recounted meeting the director, Kanan Iyer, who informed him that while he was well-built, people in the 1940s were generally punier. Irani then lost 8 kilograms in one and a half months and returned to the director, who assured him that everything was set for contract signing the following week.
Confident that nothing could go wrong, Irani shared the news with his wife, family, and close friends. However, the role ultimately did not materialize. Irani mentioned that the character was one Sara Ali Khan would eventually come to for help.
On being asked about the reason for being replaced, he said, “Bigger name, (not) a good actor… and I have gone through auditions, proper auditions. Kanan, the director, he loved me. Everything was proper. But I decided not to talk about it… But it was a very big jhatka (shock) for me because (it would have been a big opportunity) for me,” he added.
Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson Tushar Gandhi lauds Ae Watan Mere Watan
Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi, shared his thoughts on the film Ae Watan Mere Watan on X (Twitter) after watching it. He praised Sara’s portrayal of Usha Mehta in a heartfelt note. He mentioned that he grew up knowing Ushaben Mehta, who mentored him during his youth, and had heard stories about her role in running the clandestine Congress Radio during the Quit India Movement.
Tushar expressed that the film brought these stories to life and thanked Sara Ali Khan for vividly bringing Ushaben to life on screen.
ALSO READ: Ae Watan Mere Watan: Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson Tushar Gandhi lauds Sara Ali Khan; ‘You brought Ushaben alive’