Mouni Roy was not recommended by Salman Khan for ‘Gold’, says Ritesh Sidhwani

A famous face on the small screen, actress Mouni Roy is gung-ho about her big screen debut opposite Akshay Kumar in ‘Gold’. But, it hasn’t been quite an easy way for the actress who has had to deal with rumours of bagging the role due to her good rapport with Salman Khan. Now for those of you wondering about the connection here, let us remind you that the actress was a part of the reality TV series ‘Bigg Boss’ which is hosted by Salman Khan and that’s how they know each other. Apparently, Salman is too fond of Mouni and he was the one to recommend her name for the lead role in the movie opposite Akshay Kumar. (Also Read: Akshay Kumar and Mouni Roy spotted shooting for ‘Gold’, impress us with the retro avatars)

However, producer Ritesh Sidhwani has now denied these rumours. At the success bash of the web series ‘Inside Edgde’, he stated that she has bagged the role purely on merit and not with anybody’s recommendation. Said Sidhwani, “To be honest, nobody recommended her. She is talented… It’s like taking away someone’s talent by saying that somebody recommended her. She was actually auditioned for that part and she gave a fantastic audition. We all — Farhan (Akhtar), Reema (Kagti) and everyone watched the audition and we chose her. So, just like all others, she was actually auditioned and after that she got the part. It was not based on recommendations.” He further said that the movie is currently being shot in Leeds.

Director Reema Kagti had earlier revealed that ‘Gold’ is not a historical depiction of the hockey match played by India at the 1948 Olympics. She had said, “Mine would be a fictional take on what actually happened. The game of hockey would feature prominently in the plot. But there will also be a strong human drama playing at the forefront. And it wouldn’t be just the Olympics victory in 1948 we will be looking at. ‘Gold’ will look at 12 crucial years in India’s history.”

The movie is slated to release sometime next year.

Prajakta Ajgaonkar

Passionate about writing, and a Bollywood lover, she is all that is sweet and endearing! She desires to put her best foot forward in everything that she does and loves to help anyone who’s in need.