
Siddharth Nigam's mother reveals he was replaced by Ajay Devgn's nephew Aaman Devgan in Azaad with Rasha Thadani: 'Both of them were star kids...'
In an industry where star power often outweighs merit, the struggles of outsiders continue to echo. Actor Siddharth Nigam's journey is the latest reminder. His mother has now revealed that Siddharth was originally in line to debut in Azaad—until he was replaced by star kids
Aaman Devgan
and
Rasha Thadani
.
In conversation with Instant Bollywood, Siddharth's mother opened up about the challenges of being an outsider in the film industry, highlighting a personal experience with Azaad. She shared that Siddharth was initially considered for the film and even had the script narrated to him. However, after waiting for nearly two years, they discovered through a poster that the movie had been made—with
Ajay Devgn
's nephew Aaman Devgan and Raveena Tandon's daughter Rasha Thadani in the lead.
She admitted it was a tough moment, especially as a mother, and felt the final casting decision may have been influenced by the star lineage of the newcomers.
Siddharth also reflected on the situation, acknowledging the realities of the industry. Without placing blame, he shared that it's part of the business, and those involved likely had their own reasons for the decision. For him, it was more about the emotional toll—waiting with hope for a year, only to find out through the teaser that someone else had been cast.
In the end, he said, it became a moment of quiet acceptance and simply moving on.
The period action drama, directed by Abhishek Kapoor and produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Pragya Kapoor, marked the debut of Aaman Devgan and Rasha Thadani, starring alongside Ajay Devgn and Diana Penty. Despite the high-profile cast and production, the film opened to mixed-to-negative reviews and failed to make a mark at the box office, earning just Rs 8 crore worldwide.
Check out our list of the
latest Hindi
,
English
,
Tamil
,
Telugu
,
Malayalam
, and
Kannada movies
. Don't miss our picks for the
best Hindi movies
,
best Tamil movies,
and
best Telugu films
.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Five Punjab ex-cops get life sentence for killing 7 in 1993 fake encounters
A CBI special court in Mohali Monday stopped short of awarding capital punishment as it sentenced Punjab's five retired police officers to rigorous life imprisonment for killing seven persons, including three special police officers, in fake encounters in 1993, and described their conduct as 'not only unlawful, but also morally bankrupt and profoundly inhumane'. The court of CBI Special Judge Baljinder Singh Sra also imposed a fine of Rs 3.50 lakh on each of the convicts, ordering that the amount be paid to the legal heirs of the victims. 'Upon consideration of the rival contentions, this court is of the view that there is no doubt regarding the sheer venality and callousness with which the convicts acted, reflecting an utter disregard for human dignity and life. Their conduct was not only unlawful, it was morally bankrupt and profoundly inhumane. However, in view of their advanced age and the prolonged agony endured during the course of the trial over many years, this court refrains from awarding the capital punishment,' the court said. The court on August 1 had held the five retired police officers —the then deputy superintendent of police Bhupinderjit Singh (61), who later retired as SSP; the then assistant sub-inspector Devinder Singh (58), who retired as DSP; the then assistant sub-inspector Gulbarg Singh (72), the then Inspector Suba Singh (83) and the then ASI Raghbir Singh (63) — guilty of criminal conspiracy, fabrication of records, murder and destruction of evidence under relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. Five other accused in the case — the then Inspector Gurdev Singh, the then sub-inspector Gian Chand, then ASI Jagir Singh and then head constables Mohinder Singh and Aroor Singh — passed away during the trial, while one turned prosecution witness. The court, in its order said that Dr B R Ambedkar, the chief architect of the Indian Constitution, once said, 'Rights are protected not by laws but by the social and moral conscience of society'. Regrettably, this moral consciousness has yet to be fully absorbed and reflected in the institutions of governance entrusted with the protection of people's rights, read the order. The case stems from two separate alleged fake encounters in June and July 1993. As per the CBI, which was handed over the probe following a Supreme Court order, a police team led by the then station house officer of Sarhali police station Gurdev Singh picked up SPOs Shinder Singh, Desa Singh, Sukhdev Singh and two others — Balkar Singh and Daljit Singh — from the residence of a government contractor on June 27, 1993. All of them were residents of Rani Vallah village in Tarn Taran. They were taken to Sarhali police station and were falsely implicated in a robbery case, as per the CBI probe. On July 2, 1993, the Sarhali police registered a case against Shinder Singh, Desa Singh and Sukhdev Singh, claiming that they had absconded along with government-issued weapons. On July 12, 1993, a police team led by the then DSP Bhupinderjit Singh and then Inspector Gurdev Singh claimed that while escorting one Mangal Singh to Gharka village for a recovery in the dacoity case, they were attacked by militants. In the crossfire, Mangal Singh, Desa Singh, Shinder Singh and Balkar Singh were killed, police had claimed. The forensic analysis, however, revealed inconsistencies. It was found that the bullet casings collected from the scene did not match the weapons allegedly recovered from the deceased. Post-mortem examination reports also indicated that the victims had been tortured prior to death. Despite being identified by two ASIs, the bodies were cremated as 'unclaimed' and 'unidentified', as per CBI investigation. On July 28, 1993, three more persons Sukhdev Singh, Sarabjit Singh and Harvinder Singh were killed in a staged encounter involving a police team, also led by the then DSP Bhupinderjit Singh, according to the CBI investigation. The case came to light as part of the broader investigation into mass cremations of unclaimed bodies in Punjab during the militancy era, spearheaded by rights activist Jaswant Singh Khalra. Following Supreme Court orders on December 12, 1996, the CBI began its inquiry and registered the case in 1999 based on the complaint of Narinder Kaur, the wife of Shinder Singh. The CBI filed a chargesheet in 2002 against 11 accused officers. The trial was delayed due to legal stays between 2010 and 2021. Out of 67 witnesses cited by the CBI, 36 died during the trial, while 28 testified. —With PTI


Mint
an hour ago
- Mint
'He is such a champ': Hrithik Roshan praises Jr NTR's ahead of War 2 release
Bollywood star Hrithik Roshan heaped praise on Jr NTR during a recent public appearance in Sri Lanka, calling him 'such a champ' for his unmatched dancing prowess. The two actors are set to appear as rivals in the much-anticipated action thriller 'War 2', releasing on August 14. Taking to the stage, Hrithik was visibly in awe of the 'RRR' star's skillset. 'Give it up for Jr NTR, guys. He is incredible; I mean, that man is such a champ,' he told the audience. Roshan, long admired for his own dancing ability, revealed he was stunned by Jr NTR's natural rhythm. 'He is the first co-actor that I have worked with that does not need rehearsals when he dances. It is absolutely incredible (that) he has every step inside him already,' he added. Hrithik also teased an exciting musical showdown in the film. 'Yeah, we have this song where, I would say it is kind of a dance-off. But yeah, working with him has been an extraordinary experience for me. It has taught me a lot of things that I will now incorporate in my life,' he said. Directed by Ayan Mukerji and produced by Aditya Chopra, 'War 2' serves as a sequel to the 2019 blockbuster 'War'. Jr NTR plays the antagonist in the high-stakes action flick, which will be released in Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil. The film is slated for a box office clash with Rajinikanth's upcoming film 'Coolie', setting the stage for one of the biggest cinematic face-offs of the year. With a dance battle and star power to match, 'War 2' is shaping up to be a visual spectacle.


Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
IIT-Kharagpur adopts 3-language formula with stress on Bengali
1 2 3 4 Kolkata: IIT Kharagpur has gone tri-lingual under current director Suman Chakraborty, with an emphasis on Bengali, to promote the importance of regional language and to communicate with non-faculty staff, including housekeepers, gardeners, and maintenance crew, "effectively, without any language barrier". Chakraborty himself has English, Bengali and Hindi on his name plates outside his office and bungalow. He is the first director to put up his name in Bengali. Chakraborty said, "I did it symbolically, to initiate a cultural transformation and to reflect a change in our thoughts, following the three-language formula mentioned in the National Education Policy 2020. I also asked the professor-in-charge of the Rajbhasha Vibhag to ensure there is a proper representation of English, Bengali, and Hindi in all the prominent places of the campus, including auditoriums, buildings, departments, and the Hijli Detention Camp, where there are frequent visitors. " He said, "The Hijli Detention Camp is known as the birthplace of IIT Kharagpur. But it looks odd that the immense contribution of our revolutionaries is not written in Bengali." You Can Also Check: Kolkata AQI | Weather in Kolkata | Bank Holidays in Kolkata | Public Holidays in Kolkata The director feels that since IIT Kharagpur is a cosmopolitan campus with students and faculty members from across the country, English and Hindi have been the medium of communication and instruction. "Bengali has been neglected for long. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Jennifer Garner: From Farm Girl to Hollywood's Sweetheart Watch More Undo We must remember that the institution is in Bengal and there are many local non-teaching staffers who can read and write only Bengali. Our natural interaction with them is in Bengali, which is the regional language and mother tongue for many of us. Some of them may understand Hindi but cannot read it. Therefore, Bengali must be included in our communications and writings displayed for visitors to know about the campus." The director issued an order saying the tri-language policy will be implemented during foundation st-one laying ceremonies of infrastructural projects during the platinum jubilee celebration, which is set to begin from Aug 18, the foundation day of the institute. "The writings on the foundation stones will reflect the tri-language policy. It will promote our regional language as a medium of instruction and communication, and do away with the linguistic barrier," Chakraborty said.