It was right after Masaan that Rajkumar Hirani approached Vicky Kaushal to play Ranbir Kapoor's friend in the biopic
Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; June 1, 2018)

Elated to have a Rajkumar Hirani film on his resume so early on in his career, Vicky Kaushal says the director has played a pivotal role in his life even before they collaborated on Sanju.

"Raju sir was the first to know when I bagged my debut film. After I was selected for Zubaan, I called my father [Sham Kaushal] to share the news. He was shooting with Rajkumar Hirani at the time. Despite my telling him to not tell anyone about it, he went up to Raju sir and said, 'Mere bete ko aaj picture mil gayi hai,'" recalls Vicky Kaushal.

It was right after Masaan that Rajkumar Hirani approached him to play Ranbir Kapoor's friend in the biopic. "When he said that he has me in mind for a character, I couldn't believe it. I knew that even if I don't get to be part of the film, it's a validation that the biggest director in the country spared a thought for me," said Vicky.