Year ender: Bollywood casting decisions that shocked us in 2023
Casting is a crucial aspect that can make or break a film. While polished actors can take a project to the skies, helping it be forever etched in viewers' minds, miscasting can backfire massively and completely puncture the movie's ambitions and expectations. In 2023, there were a few Bollywood films that didn't hit the mark when it came to casting. Wondering how? Read further.
'Adipurush'
Let's face the fact: Prabhas is an out-and-out action hero. Saaho, the Baahubali franchise, and now Salaar: Part 1—Ceasefire have repeatedly cemented the fact that Prabhas is made for larger-than-life roles. Thus, his casting as Lord Ram in Adipurush was baffling, to say the least. The heavily CGI-generated movie had nothing going on for it, and Prabhas's frozen expressions didn't help.
'Jawan'
In Atlee's mass-pleasing, masala action entertainer Jawan, Shah Rukh Khan played dual roles—Vikram Rathore (father) and Azad (son). Ridhi Dogra was roped in to play grown-up Azad's foster mother. With her hideous wig and preposterous overall getup, it was shocking to see how a 39-year-old played mother to (then) 57-year-old SRK. Why did makers not go for someone closer to Khan's age or older?
'Dunki'
It is grating and cringe-inducing to see 58-year-old Khan romance 36-year-old Taapsee Pannu in Rajkumar Hirani's Dunki. Several female actors could have fit the bill: Kajol, Shilpa Shetty Kundra, Raveena Tandon, Sonali Bendre, and Tabu, among others. But the rabid insistence on casting someone "young" perhaps led to Pannu's casting. Roles for women dry up after the 40s, for men, they just keep coming.
'Animal'
Sandeep Reddy Vanga's Animal has opened a can of worms in its wake, with it being attacked left, right, and center over its alleged misogyny and glorification of toxic, brute characters. However, there lies another problem with Animal; Charu Shankar (42) played the wife of Anil Kapoor (66) and the mother of Ranbir Kapoor (41). Could Vanga have selected another actor here? Easily.
'Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaani'
The conspicuous fault with Karan Johar's Rocky Aur Rani Kii Prem Kahaanii is the exact same as that of Animal—why can't casting directors look for actors who look their age? Kshitee Jog, who played Poonam Randhawa, Rocky Randhawa's (Ranveer Singh) mother, is reportedly 40 years old and, thus, only two years older than Singh. The part, thus, should have ideally gone to someone older.
