Before his debut film released, Sushant Singh Rajput was initially cast as the lead in the 2014 romantic comedy Hasee Toh Phasee, produced by Karan Johar and Anurag Kashyap. However, actress Parineeti Chopra, who was part of the film, referred to him as a ‘television actor’ and declined to share screen space with him. Later, she recommended Sushant to Aditya Chopra for the 2013 romantic comedy Shuddh Desi Romance. Sushant eventually left Hasee Toh Phasee and signed a three-film deal with Yash Raj Films.
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Anurag Kashyap discussed the incident during his 2020 interview with journalist Faye D’Souza. According to the filmmaker, Sushant Singh Rajput was initially set to star in the film Hasee Toh Phasee. However, when they approached actress Parineeti Chopra for the female lead, she expressed reluctance to work with a ‘television actor.’ Despite attempts to highlight Sushant’s upcoming projects like Kai Po Che and PK, Parineeti stood firm. Subsequently, she recommended Sushant to Yash Raj Films for the film Shuddh Desi Romance.