In a conversation with Forbes, Ramesh Taurani revealed that he had shortlisted 15 girls for the role including Pashmina Roshan. The producer said that neither her father Rajesh Roshan nor Hrithik Roshan had called him to consider Pashmina for the role. He said, “We had no idea who she was. Pashmina was one of the 15 girls we shortlisted; we had no idea who she was. When we started doing her contracts, we found out she was a Roshan. I had worked extensively with her father Rajesh Roshan, but he never called, asking me to consider her.”

The producer mentioned how merit dictates success and opportunities in Bollywood. He added, “Neither did Hrithik, who has a rapport with me. Merit matters more than anything in this industry, whether you’re an outsider or a nepo kid. If you see from the ’80s to now, there are some actors who haven’t succeeded despite their lineage. With the original ‘Ishq Vishk’, we launched Shahid, Amrita Rao, and Shenaz Treasurywala. Shahid is a superstar today! Shenaz was also flooded with offers after the film. We are keen to do more movies with these kids too.”

Taurani said that he wanted new faces in ‘Ishq Vishk Rebound.’ He revealed that it took the team five rounds of auditions to finally choose the actors for the roles. Starring Rohit Saraf, Pashmina Roshan, Jibraan Khan, and Naila Grrewal, the movie is being helmed by Nipun Dharmadhikari. The movie is set to release in cinemas on June 21.