Omung Kumar explains why he zeroed in on the actor to star in the biopic
Nayandeep Rakshit (DNA; July 4, 2015)

Omung Kumar’s biopic Sarbjit has been in the news for its casting. After roping in Aishwarya Rai Bachchan for the role of Sarabjit Singh’s sister Dalbir Kaur, who fought for justice for her brother, the makers have selected Randeep Hooda for the role of the slain Indian prisoner Sarabjit. “I wanted Randeep as Sarabjit because he fits the role completely, he is a very good actor and takes all his roles seriously. When we approached him he came to the meeting completely prepared for the role,” says Omung. The Mary Kom director also added that Randeep looks like Sarabjit when he was young. “We compared Sarabjit’s and Randeep’s photographs and found them looking similar. He is from Haryana, so the accent will work very well with him. And whatever Randeep has done before, he has put in more than 200 per cent in the role,” says Omung.

He also recalled how Randeep reacted when he narrated the script to him. “He went into small details and what he could do for the character. After the meeting, he immediately said yes. That’s how we got our Sarabjit.”

The film will go on floors in Punjab in October this year and will have a start-to-finish 70-day schedule. The makers have plans to release the film at Cannes 2016.