Irrfan, to get the cast in proper perspective, was added on to the cast of the sequel to give the plot more weight substance and spice.
Says a source, "The sequel demanded serious sprucing up after the producer of Sahib Bibi Aur Gangster (SBAG), Rahul Mittra was out of the picture. Eros hopped on for the sequel after the response to SBAG. They wanted to add wazan to the cast."
Neil Nitin Mukesh was considered for an additional role of an arrogant sadistic zamindar. This was before his Players was released. After Players both Eros and Tigmanshu decided to cast Irrfan Khan in the role.
And now on Saturday evening Soha Ali Khan has been finalized to play Irrfan's intimidated petrified subjugated wife who hardly speaks, or is hardly allowed to speak.
But as Soha points out enigmatically, "Nothing and no one is ever how they seem. I'm very excited about the role."
Adding to Soha's excitement about being teamed up with the talented Irrfan Khan for the first time is the fact that her look, body language, clothes and appearance would be modelled on her mother Sharmila Tagore in Hrishikesh Mukherjee's 1960s' classic Anupama. In the film Soha's mother had played a suppressed daughter. In Tigmanshu's film Soha's role of the suppressed wife would borrow quite a lot from Anupama's character.
Says Tigmanshu, "Soha has just been added to Sahib Bibi Aur Gangster 2. After the surprisingly positive response to Sahib Bibi Aur Gangster we want the sequel to be less budget-challenged more glossy and viewer-friendly. We also needed to add more characters to carry the sequel forward. Jimmy Shergil, Mahie Gill and Randeep Hooda are back. But Irrfan and Soha play the other couple. Soha will play a very mysterious character."Tigmasnhu was very impressed with Soha.
"When I met her I found her to very unlike the typical Bollywood actor. She's a very intelligent girl. Although the character is very different from her personality she understood the requirements of her role immediately.
"I was stuck by how similar she looked to her beautiful mother. Yes, I've planned a very special look for Soha. I want her took prettier than she has ever done."
