Tiku Weds Sheru: Kangana Ranaut was initially going to play Avneet Kaur's part

Ever since the trailer of Tiku Weds Sheru released, the makers have been receiving flak for the young actress Avneet Kaur being cast opposite Nawazuddin Siddiqui. Netizen have been slamming the age gap between the two actors. Producer Kangana Ranaut addressed this with OTTplay.

Kangna said, "When I decided to produce the film, my biggest hesitation was about who will play the part of Tiku, because on paper it is a very challenging role. The casting was a huge challenge for all of us. Honestly, I was supposed to play the part when I had initially written it. I remember, after the release of Revolver Rani, when I got the script, I realised that it could be a very challenging role for any actor. However, I decided to launch a new talent and I was quite disappointed to see not enough performance caliber in most budding actors. So, after a discussion with casting director Mukesh Chhabra, we thought of auditioning young girls from small towns like Himachal Pradesh, Madya Pradesh, Haryana and other places. I was looking for the innocence of a small-town girl."

"When we were about to do that, a friend of mine, Ajay Dhama, sent me the social media profile of Avneet Kaur. The minute I saw her I instinctively knew that she can be Tiku because she was absolutely raw, unassuming and free. When I met her and did some acting exercises with her, I understood that she will be able to do it," she said. 

Avneet started her career by participating in TV reality shows. She has acted in Bollywood films like Mardaani, Qarib Qarib Singlle, and Mardaani 2 as a child artist. According to Kangana, the young talent has a great understanding of human emotion.

Kangana said, "I was taken aback by seeing her spontaneity and understanding of human emotions, which was so deep and layered. In the film, Tiku goes through a lot of emotional turmoil, and it was surprising for me to see how Avneet has the emotional stamina as a performer to dive into those emotions. I always thought of her as a young chirpy girl. But I was surprised to see her emotional potency. So, I am sure that after delivering such a performance, Avneet will only get stronger parts to play."

The story of Tiku Weds Sheru is based in Bhopal and Mumbai, and revolves around the journey of two characters - Tiku and Sheru.

The film, directed by Sai Kabir, releases on Amazon Prime Video on June 23.