The curious casting tale of Mira Nair's proposed adaptation of Jhumpa Lahiri's novel "The Namesake"
gets more curious by the day.
First Rani Mukherjee opted out, apparently because the role offered to her wasn't substantial enough,
and was replaced by Konkona Sensharma.
But the crucial casting of the main protagonist from Lahiri's novel remained a mystery.
There were rumours that Rahul Bose had been approached. But Bose clarified that he had never been
approached, let alone offered, the pivotal role.
That crucial bit of casting is now in place. Abhishek Bachchan has been pencilled in to play the Bengali
NRI protagonist Gogol Ganguly in the adaptation.
Nair met Abhishek for the first time in Kolkata through mutual friend Rituparno Ghosh. They then met
again in Mumbai.
And Nair has found Bachchan Jr. to be the perfect choice, except for one problem. Abhishek's dates
have to be adjusted.
Nair's shooting spell for "The Namesake" clashes with another major project that Abhishek has just
signed.
However, with a bit of adjustment, Abhishek is sure to do Nair's film. It's an opportunity he wouldn't like to
let go.
One thing is for sure. After his first major hit "Dhoom", the simultaneous release of "Phir Milenge", his
most acclaimed film ever, the forthcoming "Naach" which many consider to be his best performance to
date, and now the prized role in Mira Nair's movie... Abhishek Bachchan's career is certainly
rocking.