DYK not Shahid Kapoor but Riz Ahmed was the first choice to play Tommy in Udta Punjab?

Udta Punjab scriptwriter Sudip Sharma revealed that Oscar-nominee Riz Ahmed was the first choice to play Tommy Singh in the film. However, ultimately the role went to Shahid Kapoor.

Shahid Kapoor, Alia Bhatt-starrer Udta Punjab recently completed five years of its release. On its fifth anniversary, the film's writer Sudip Sharma revealed that Sound Of Metal actor Riz Ahmed was the first choice to play Tommy Singh in Udta Punjab. Speaking to Film Companion, Sudip Sharma spoke about RIz Ahmed being the first choice to play Tommy Singh. He said, "We also dabbled with the idea of Riz Ahmed at one point of time. We never thought of a Bollywood actor for that role (Tommy Singh). We thought, why don’t we go for a British-South Asian character? Because we really wanted that whole London thing in it. And Riz is a great actor."