Siddhant Chaturvedi was rejected from Laila Majnu auditions for being 'too young': I grew my beard...

Siddhant Chaturvedi almost made his film debut with Laila Majnu before Gully Boy, as he was shortlisted in the auditions for Qais.

After making a name for himself in the streaming world with Inside Edge, Siddhant Chaturvedi made a memorable film debut with Zoya Akhtar's Gully Boy in 2019. The young actor has since risen in the ranks to be a lead star. But his film career could have begun much earlier, had he cleared a big audition. In a recent conversation with Just Too Filmy, Siddhant revealed that he was shortlisted for the 2018 film Laila Majnu but was eventually rejected.

Siddhant Chaturvedi auditioned for Laila Majnu, which eventually starred Avinash Tiwary opposite Triptii Dimri.

Siddhant was shortlisted for Laila Majnu

Siddhant is currently promoting his upcoming film Dhadak 2, in which he stars opposite Triptii Dimri. In the interview, he was asked about a film of Triptii's that he admires and Siddhant named Laila Majnu. The Sajid Ali directorial marked Triptii's film debut and was released in 2018.

Siddhant revealed that he almost starred opposite Triptii in the film. "I was shortlisted for Laila Majnu, and I was 22 at that point of time. (I came) very close. The thing is the guy had to be older than the girl. I didn't know who was going to be playing the girl. It was my audition round days. I auditioned, but they felt I was a little too young. I grew my beard. My brother shot me in his new camera, and I made a profile that I sent them. Obviously, it didn't work out," the actor said.

All about Laila Majnu

Eventually, Avinash Tiwary was cast as Qais in the film. Laila Majnu, released in 2018, was a commercial failure. "I went to the screening of Laila Majnu, just to know what I was missing out on," Siddhant recalled, praising Triptii's work in the film.

Laila Majnu developed a cult following over the years, particularly after its digital release. In August 2024, the film was re-released and went on to earn four times more than its initial run, finally turning a profit.

Dhadak 2 release date

Siddhant and Triptii's next, Dhadak 2, is directed by Shazia Iqbal, and produced by Dharma Productions, Zee Studios and Cloud 9 Pictures. A spiritual sequel to Dhadak and a remake of the Tamil film Pariyerum Perumal, Dhadak 2 releases in theatres on August 1.