Rachana Dubey (MUMBAI MIRROR; April 23, 2014)

Director Sabbir Khan, whose first film as a director Kambakkht Ishq featured Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor has cast rank newcomers not only in the lead but also for the supporting roles in Heropanti. Apart from Tiger Shroff and Kriti Sanon, Khan has roped in 21 artistes. Reason: He didn’t want his hero and heroine to feel too conscious shooting with senior artistes.

 “I’d worked with Nadiadwala Grandsons as an assistant before directing my first film. All their projects including my directorial debut featured A-list artistes. The reason I went with an all-new cast for this one is that it required a certain freshness. And after watching the edited version, I can confidently say it wasn’t a mistake,” says Sabbir.