AR Rahman reveals why he did not cast Pakistani actors in '99 Songs'

During the 99 Songs trailer launch, Bollywood music director AR Rahman revealed he did not want any Pakistani actor for his home production’s debut. Apparently, the director of AR Rahman’s 99 Songs had chosen three actors from across the border but this did not sit well with Rahman. Although he was in need of a fresh face, someone who acts as well as sings well, he was not ready to cast any Pakistani in his debut production.

The director of AR Rahman’s 99 Songs, Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy finally had to choose Ehan Bhat who hailed from Kashmir. Talking about the issue in the 99 Songs trailer launch, AR Rahman reportedly said that they were looking for a hero who could act, sing, and was charming.

But he did not like it when his director chose Pakistani actors. Instead, Rahman reportedly asked him why the latter needed to go all the way to Pakistan and not find an Indian actor. The reason given by Rahman was that he did not want any problem with his first production.

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Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy, however, reportedly clarified that they were looking for someone whose Hindi diction was good and the person was also good with musical instruments. Luckily for them, they found all these qualities in the Kashmiri boy, Ehan Bhat. The director also went on to reportedly say that Ehan had worked hard for the job and every musical scene in the movie is real.

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In other news, AR Rahman will soon release the debut movie of his home production. The movie is called 99 Songs and tells the story of a young man whose life revolves around music and his girlfriend. Apart from Ehan Bhat, 99 Songs cast also includes Manisha Koirala, Edilsy Vargas, Lisa Ray, Ranjit Barot, and Rahul Ram.

Talking about the name of the movie, AR Rahman said that they wanted to build the story around a boy who wrote 100 songs to woo his lover. But they reportedly felt 100 was too much and instead settled for 99. Rahman would also be making his debut as a producer and writer with 99 Songs.

Watch AR Rahman's 99 Songs trailer here:

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