Casting director Mukesh Chhabra recently shared the touching story of how he first approached the late Sushant Singh Rajput for Kai Po Che, the 2013 buddy drama that marked Sushant’s Bollywood debut. In an interview with Bollywood Bubble, Chhabra revealed that he first spotted Sushant casually hanging out with friends at a coffee shop, a moment that would change the course of the actor’s career.
Recalling that first encounter, Chhabra said, “My first interaction with him was at a coffee shop. Before that, I had met him once briefly because, in this industry, many people meet you for work, but I didn’t register him at the time.” At that point, Chhabra was actively searching for fresh faces to cast in Kai Po Che. Having seen Sushant’s performance in the popular TV show Pavitra Rishta, Chhabra thought he had potential and decided to approach him.
“He was casually chilling with friends when I asked if he would come for a screen test for Kai Po Che. He was so down-to-earth and simply said, ‘Yes, sure sir, I will come.’ He then auditioned, and the rest, as they say, is history,” Chhabra recalled.
Chhabra also revealed that many other well-known actors had auditioned for roles in the Abhishek Kapoor-directed film. “Vijay Varma, Ayushmann Khurrana, Ali Fazal, Angad Bedi, and many other actors also auditioned. It was a fantastic and memorable experience casting for the film. I had a small office back then, and all of them came to audition. Today, they are all so successful,” he shared.
Sushant Singh Rajput and Mukesh Chhabra went on to share a deep friendship, with Sushant starring in Chhabra’s directorial debut Dil Bechara. Reflecting on their bond, Chhabra expressed regret that they could not fulfill their dream of working on more films together. “Our dream is now incomplete. After your first film, you always feel you’ll work with your friend again, do multiple films together—what people call the ‘actor-director’ jodi. That dream is now incomplete. I can’t even think about it. After we made Dil Bechara, we thought, ‘Bhai, we’ll now do back-to-back films.’ Woh sapna adhura reh gaya,” Chhabra lamented.
Though time has passed, Chhabra still feels the void left by Sushant. “I haven’t spoken to his family in a long time, but I recently interacted with his sister on social media,” he added, reflecting on the irreplaceable loss.
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