Irrfan Khan finalised to play Sahir Ludhianvi opposite Priyanka Chopra in Gustakhiyan?

It was earlier reported that Priyanka Chopra is likely to not only star in Gustakhiyan but also co-produce along with filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali, under her production banner Purple Pebble Pictures. [caption id=“attachment_2871714” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Irrfan Khan. News18[/caption] Now, The Quint reports that Bhansali has zeroed in on Irrfan Khan to play the lead role of controversial poet and lyricist Sahir Ludhainvi in the biopic. The report, written by Subhash K Jha, claims that Irrfan was always the first choice for Bhansali’s production. In an exclusive interview to _Firstpost_ back in 2014, Irrfan had told Jha that he was looking forward to play Ludhianvi on the silver screen. “I don’t have to prepare to play Sahir. I’ve grown up with his poetry. His thoughts are so much a part of our consciousness that we don’t need to explore them any further to know him. His lines have left a deep impact on all of us who grew up in post-Independent India,” he had said. Now, Jha’s report in The Quint claims that Irrfan has been finalised to play Ludhianvi in a biopic that will be produced, and not directed by Bhansali. The filmmaker had initially approached his Devdas actor Shah Rukh Khan for the role but that deal did not seem to have materialised. A host of other names like Salman Khan and Abhishek Bachchan were also reportedly considered for the same. In fact, the report by The Quint states that Bhansali was initially planning to cast his frequent collaborator Deepika Padukone in the role of Ludhianvi’s longtime beau and poetess Amrita Pritam. But since Chopra was more suited for the role, she has been finalised by Bhansali. However, there is no official word of confirmation from either Bhansali or Chopra as the filmmaker is currently busy shooting for his upcoming period drama Padmavati that releases this year on 17 November.