21 May,2019 07:20 AM IST | Mumbai | Letty Mariam Abraham
Namik Paul
Last month, news emerged that Namik Paul would be the latest addition to the cast of Kasautii Zindagii Kay 2. The actor, last seen in Ek Deewana Tha, went about town expressing his excitement on being part of Ekta Kapoor's most loved show. However, things seem to have taken a dramatic turn in the past few weeks - while he has been replaced by Varun Toorkey in the show, he has been roped in to play the lead in Kavach Mahashivratri opposite Deepika Singh.
Though he rubbishes rumours that he was to reprise the role of Mr Bajaj in the second edition, Paul sheds light on the developments, saying, "My character in Kasautii [Vikrant] had a great arc and the script sounded good. Who would say no to the flagship show of Balaji? I was excited to sign the contract."
Ekta Kapoor
But he reveals that both Kapoor and he did a rethink when Kavach landed on the table. "Here, I was getting to play the lead. Plus, the show is replacing Naagin 3. I took 10 minutes to give the nod." Point out how the show belongs to the supernatural genre, along the lines of his previous outing, and he says, "I didn't want to be typecast. [So, I was sceptical about] playing a demon after essaying a ghost. But they assured me that it would be nothing like my previous roles."
When mid-day reached out to Kapoor about the abrupt change in casting, the producer said that Paul seemed "better suited" for Kavach Mahashivratri. "When I saw his tape, he looked brooding and interesting. I thought he would be perfect for Kavach because there was a certain personality to him."
Also Read: After Hina Khan, Erica Fernandes to quit Kasautii Zindagii Kay 2?
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