Koffee With Karan’s latest episode was rather insipid, with Bebo playing it safe with all her rapid-fire-round answers. But, Aamir Khan did his bit by letting viewers have at least a few things to talk about. He discussed his films, family, regrets, and everything in between with Johar. However, the topic that sparked several online debates was the casting of Laal Singh Chaddha.

During their chat, Johar quizzed Kapoor about whether she was aware of the fact that she wasn’t the first choice for the role of Rupa in the film. Just then, Khan interrupted to reveal how she replaced a newbie to get cast in the role. He narrated how he saw an ad that featured both Bebo and the newbie, and the team decided to cast Kapoor Khan, instead of her.

Needless to say, the internet began to hunt for the ‘newbie’. The search ended with Reddit threads that finally zeroed in on Manushi Chillar being the ‘newbie’. The former Miss World and actor was roped in a jewellery advertorial in 2018, where Bebo was featured alongside Chillar. In the ad, Chillar is seen sharing her wedding day plans, convincing Kapoor to also get married. The timeline of the ad and the obvious casting indicates that it was indeed her.

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During the episode, Khan explained, “We were actually thinking about age group. Both the characters have a journey from 18 to 50 years of life. Initially, we thought the lesser the de-ageing the better. So only I should de-age. We were looking at the age group of 25 (years). So that the actress can look younger and older.”

Khan continued, “The casting director mentioned some new actress, who was a newbie. He showed us her video. Kareena too was in that ad. We were looking at the video for someone else. Advait (Chandan) and I were watching and that girl was also very good; but when we saw Kareena in that, we were lost in Kareena. Both of us looked at each other and we said Kareena. We didn’t think of her originally because we thought of casting someone who was around 25. We were stuck in that 25, which was a stupid thing. She too can get de-ageing with me and whatever is required and I’m so glad we saw that ad because I now cannot imagine anyone else in this role other than Kareena.”

Laal Singh Chaddha is the official Hindi remake of Tom Hanks’ Forrest Gump. Directed by Advait Chandan, the film also features Mona Singh and Naga Chaitanya in key roles. The film is set for a theatrical release on August 11.

(Featured Image Credits: YouTube @disneyplushotstar)