Raaj Shaandilyaa reacts to Nushrratt feeling hurt Ananya Panday replaced her in Dream Girl 2: 'Next part mein…'

Raaj Shaandilyaa called Nushrratt Bharuccha a dear friend, revealed he is going to approach her for a new film.

Bollywood actor Nushrratt Bharuccha was part of Ayushmann Khurrana's Dream Girl. However, she was replaced by Ananya Panday in Dream Girl 2. In a recent interview, she expressed feeling hurt on not being cast in the film. In an interview with Times of India, director Raaj Shaandilyaa has now responded to Nushrratt's statement. (Also Read: Nushrratt Bharuccha on casual sexism in film world: If I'm being told this isn't your place, sometimes I have to shut up)

Dream Girl 2 director Raaj Shaandilyaa talks about Nushrratt Bharuccha being replaced in Dream Girl 2.

Raaj Shaandilyaa on Nushrratt being replaced in Dream Girl 2

Raaj spoke about why Ayushmann Khurrana, Manjot Singh and Annu Kapoor were retained in Dream Girl 2, and said, "Dream Girl 2 was not a sequel, but a franchise film. If it were a sequel, then Nushrratt would have been cast in the film. Dream Girl’s story ended when Ayushmann and Nushrratt’s characters united. We wanted to narrate a different story, so we carried the plot forward with the core characters played by Ayushmann, Manjot and Annu Kapoor, and cast Ananya in it.”

The filmmaker added that there was no room for disappointment, saying: "Nushrratt once asked me why she wasn’t part of Dream Girl 2, and I gave her the same explanation. I told her that, according to the story, we wanted a new girl. There’s no room for disappointment because jab hum third part banayenge, we’ll cast a new girl in it. Usme Ananya nahi hogi, koi aur hogi.” He further called Nushrratt a "dear friend" and revealed that he plans to approach her for a new film.

What Nushrratt said about being replaced in Dream Girl 2

In an interview with Nayandeep Rakshit, Nushrratt opened up about being replaced by Ananya Panday in Dream Girl 2, saying, "It hurt me even more when I was not a part of my own sequel. Every other actor was the same, except the girl, which I felt was not cool na, guys? Theek hai, no problem. I can’t fight something I know is not going to change. What do I fight? They’ll say, ‘We don’t want you.’ That’s the truth of it. Eventually, it’s a choice somebody’s making. I cannot question your choice.”

About Dream Girl 2

Dream Girl 2 is a spiritual sequel to the 2019 film Dream Girl. Helmed by Raaj Shaandilyaa and produced by Ekta Kapoor and Shobha Kapoor under Balaji Motion Pictures, the film revolves around the story of a man who cross-dresses and disguises himself as a woman, leading to chaos and confusion. The film also stars Abhishek Banerjee, Ananya Panday, Paresh Rawal, Manjot Singh and Seema Pahwa in key roles. It turned out to be a box office success, earning ₹142.2 crore worldwide.