It turned out to be an extremely lucky day for the caterer's son on the sets of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra's next when he actually landed a role in the film. The director had auditioned nearly 3, 000 kids for the role of the young Milkha Singh in the biopic, but ultimately handpicked the little boy to play the part.
Sources say Rakeysh wanted a boy with `earthy looks` to play the young athlete. Several kids from drama schools across Delhi and Mumbai were auditioned but no one impressed the filmmaker.
Finally, 12-year-old Japtez Singh was spotted lurking around the sets, as his father was the caterer taking care of the unit's culinary needs.
Apparently an on-the-spot audition was held for him and Japtez was immediately roped in.
A source says, `He came across as a spontaneous and energetic guy. Something about him felt right. He was young but patiently heard his narration and delivered well. When they showed the rushes to Farhan and Milkhaji, they loved his performance.`
A unit hand tells us that initially the lad was a bit surprised but later proved to be a sport.
