Welcome actor Adi Irani reveals Zoya Akhtar replaced him in Dil Dhadakne Do without informing; ‘It wasn’t very professional…’
Actor Adi Irani revealed that he was replaced in Zoya Akhtar's Dil Dhadakne Do without prior notice. Read the full story here!

Adi Irani, widely recognized for portraying Vicky Malhotra in the 1993 film Baazigar alongside Shah Rukh Khan, has played numerous roles throughout his career. In a recent interview, the Welcome actor revealed that he was initially considered for a role in the ensemble film Dil Dhadakne Do, only to discover that Parmeet Sethi had been cast instead of him. He alleged that 'It wasn’t very professional of Zoya Akhtar but who knows what she was thinking.'
Released in 2015, Dil Dhadakne Do featured an ensemble cast, including Anil Kapoor, Priyanka Chopra, Ranveer Singh, Farhan Akhtar, and Shefali Shah. Adi Irani shared that he was firm about taking on a role with substantial scenes rather than the one he was initially asked to audition for.
He recalled explaining to Zoya Akhtar that he was not concerned about his character’s screen time but wanted the role to have depth and significance, emphasizing that quality mattered more than quantity.
The actor recalled that while he was shooting for Welcome Back, Zoya Akhtar had cast Parmeet Sethi for the role he had auditioned for, but he was not informed about this change. He mentioned that during the filming of Welcome Back, Anil Kapoor even asked him if he had finalized his role in Dil Dhadakne Do.
Irani explained that he had told Zoya about his interest in a more substantial role, to which she responded that she would reach out if such an opportunity arose. At that moment, he realized he would not be getting the part.
He further shared that when he was called for a second audition, and was given dialogues for a different character, making it clear that he was no longer being considered for the original role. He emphasized that no one had informed him about the change.
When asked if he was left to speculate about the situation, Irani confirmed that he was. He added that while he found Akhtar’s approach unprofessional, he acknowledged that he could not be certain of her reasoning.
Irani pointed out that informing an actor about being replaced is never easy, as many in the industry prefer to handle such matters diplomatically rather than being upfront.

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