Mirzapur Actor Amit Sial Was Offered Irrfan Khan’s Role In Slumdog Millionaire: The Actor Recalls, “I Remember Danny Boyle Had Come…”
Amit Sial has revealed he was offered the role of police inspector in the Oscar-winning film, Slumdog Millionaire, but the part eventually went to Irrfan Khan.
Amit Sial was offered a role in Slumdog Millionaire. (Photo Credit – Instagram)
Advertisement
Amit Sial has made his name as an accomplished actor, thanks to his appearances on numerous OTT projects. While he has been a part of hit shows like Mirzapur, Inside Edge, and Maharani, there is one particular project he turned down that could have changed the trajectory of his career.
The actor has revealed that he was offered the role of a Police Inspector in Danny Boyle’s Oscar-winning film, Slumdog Millionaire. The role ultimately went to Irrfan Khan, who was well-appreciated by audiences and critics.
Actor Amit Recalls Being Offered Irrfan Khan’s Role in Slumdog Millionaire
In an interview with Bollywood Bubble, Sial revealed that he had initially auditioned for the character of Dev Patel’s elder brother, Salim in Slumdog Millionaire. “I remember Danny Boyle had come for Slumdog Millionaire to me and we were supposed to do a film. But later he said that the part I auditioned for looked a bit older for that,” said the actor.
Sial added that he was desperate to play the part and was ready to lose weight to look younger. However, Boyle’s kind words changed his mind, as the filmmaker told him, “We know you can do it, but what about the maturity? You have so many years of experience, how will you reduce that when you act? You’ll end up just acting.’”
Sial was then approached for another role in the film, that of the Police Inspector; however, he turned it down this time. “Phir mujhe message aaya ki woh jo police wala hai na, jo interrogate karta hai, jo baadme Irrfan Khan ne kiya tha, woh karoge kya? (I got a message asking if I wanted to play the police officer’s character who interrogates, which was later played by Irrfan Khan).”
The actor refused the role as he felt the character was not important enough in the script. “Mujhe uska importance script mein samajh nahi aaya. Shayad us waqt itni akal nahi thi, aur mujhe laga ki yaar ye to kuch hai hi nahi, to bas question poochta hai. (I didn’t understand its importance in the script at that time. I thought, ‘This character doesn’t seem to be doing anything at all, he just asks questions).’”
Sial finally realized the significance of the character when he saw Irrfan’s amazing performance in the film. “He [Boyle] even insisted that I do that role but I didn’t do it. Then I saw Irrfan Khan doing the role and creating magic in it. But I think whatever happens, is for the best,” concluded the actor.
