Rajkummar Hirani Took A Year To Cast A Man Who Only Has 2 Shots In 3 Idiots: 'Wanted A Face Uncorrupted By Time...'

Rajkummar Hirani's big event films like '3 Idiots' are iconic and generation-changers. They have a kind of fan following that crosses generational barriers.

Rajkummar Hirani's big event films like '3 Idiots' are iconic and generation-changers. They have a kind of fan following that crosses generational barriers. The Aamir Khan, R. Madhavan and Sharman Joshi starrer was a big blockbuster of a film that was adapted from Chetan Bhagat's novel 'Five Point Someone'. 

Recently, an old clip showcasing Rajkummar Hirani's attention to detail has caught everyone's feed on social media. In the clip, we see the maverick director talk about how he cast the old man who plays the role of Joy's father. Very small in the film, however, Hirani notes that it took him almost a year to cast the right man.

Ho Joy Lobo's father was cast in 3 Idiots

Speaking to the interviewer, an old clip of Hirani shows him talking about how he cast the man, who is a veteran theatre actor from Pune. 

"I was looking for a very old man who's got a very warm face. I said he will only come for two shots but he needs to have a very warm face, so he feels for him that his son is dead. If you have a face that time has kind of corrupted it then you won't feel for it. So, we went across the city  hunting for that one old face for one whole year," Hirani said.

"I kept on pushing the shoot saying, no this is not the right face and we got tired. Then one day on the table, there was a DVD of a Marathi film which was made in the 50s and there was a photograph of a woman with a seven-year-old, a very cute looking kid. "

Further adding, how frustrated he was for not being able to find the right man, one day he told his ADs, “I pointed towards the DVD and said, hunt for this boy. He must be an old man now. If we find the same warmth on his face as this kid, he might be a good match. We went hunting for him and we found that man. He does theatre in Pune. And, he's the guy who finally acted in it."

For those unaware, Ali Fazal played the role of Joy Lobo, a senior student who commits suicide because of the pressure of his engineering college and principal Viru Sahastrabuddhe, who was not letting him graduate.