Asira Tarannum (MID-DAY; March 20, 2015)

Irrfan Khan was supposed to play a ‘lovable’ don in the third instalment of Hera Pheri being directed by Neeraj Vora. Though he had shot for an audio-visual ahead of the film’s mahurat, he went missing from it. The makers had then said that the actor’s role was still being fleshed out.

Now sources close to the project diary was choc-a-bloc, forcing him to opt out of the film at the last minute. And Kay Kay Menon has replaced him.

Confirming the news, Vora says, “We tried to get Irrfan on board, but his dates didn’t match with our plans of releasing the film in mid-December. It was tough on our part to find a replacement for him, and then I saw Kay Kay in Baby. I loved his performance and decided to cast him. Since I am both writing and directing the movie, it becomes easier to improvise the roles.”

The director says the don was meant to be intense, scary and aggressive. “Only Kay Kay could only fit into that kind of role. His character has a good mix of comedy and seriousness that will surprise everyone,” adds Vora.