Kaalidhar Laapata starring Abhishek Bachchan released today, and it has been receiving a lot of positive reviews from the viewers. Abhishek, especially, has been receiving several compliments for his portrayal of a 45-year-old dejected man suffering from Lewy body dementia, with many even calling it one of his best performances. The unusual, yet heartwarming story seems like a fresh take on friendships. We, at mid-day, got a chance to sit with the writer and director of the film, Madhumita, and we asked her about the casting of Abhishek in the Hindi adaptation of her original Tamil film, K.D. and here’s what the visionary had to share.

Madhumita reveals Abhishek was cast against type in Kaalidhar Laapata

Talking about how she came up with the story of K.D. and eventually Kaalidhar Laapata, she shared, “The original was written because I found out about this ritual called Thalekoothal, and that it still happens in some part of Tamil Nadu. I researched it and that's how the script came along.”

She further shared how Abhishek Bachchan was brought on board, saying, “It was Nikhil Advani, the co-producers, who suggested Abhishek sir. And it was very interesting because it was casting against type. We had, of course, decided that the Hindi version was going to be that of a 45-year-old man. And the first conversation we had, we discussed Abhishek.”