When Imtiaz Ali Rejected Vidya Malavade For Being 'Too Glamourous' For A Role In Dr Arora

Vidya Malavade is gearing up for the release of her upcoming film Ruslaan. During one of the promotional interviews, the actress recalled being rejected for being "too pretty" and "glamourous". The actress shared that filmmaker Imtiaz Ali had rejected her for Dr Arora, but she convinced him that she could play a middle-class housewife role.

She’s too glamourous for this part: Imtiaz Ali

In a conversation with Bollywood Bubble, Vidya recalled the time when Imtiaz rejected her saying she was “too pretty” to play a small-town character in Dr Arora. She added that the filmmaker kept saying, "No she can’t do it. She’s too glamourous for this part. How will she carry it off? I don’t think she will." The director wanted someone to look like a housewife. So he was unsure whether Vidya could pull off or not.

How did Vidya Malavade convince Imtiaz Ali to take her in Dr  Arora?

The Chak De actress shared the time when Mukesh Chabbra's team approached her and asked her to send photos. However, when Chhabra asked her to send her more pictures, she said, "I was at a shoot. I packed up early, called my house help and told her I needed a saree and blouse of hers. I wore that saree, wore some kajal and styled my hair. I made her only take pictures.”

She then sent the photos to Imtiaz Ali with a message, "Sir, please don’t take a part away from me because of the way I look. Because I know I can transform and do what it takes to be Vaishali. And he said just give me a few days. A couple of days later I got a call saying that you’re on. For me that was a transformation.”

What do we know about Dr Arora?

It is a medical drama created by Imtiaz Ali. Apart from Vidya, the series stars Kumud Mishra in a titular role. Raj Arjun, Sandeepa Dhar and Pitobash Tripathy in supporting roles. The series released on SonyLIV in July 2022 and earned mixed reviews from the audience.