A missed opportunity — that’s what Sharib Hashmi thought when a small role in Haiwaan didn’t materialise. Little did he know that destiny had other plans. In a funny turn of events, the actor lost that role in the Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan-led thriller, only to land the plum part of a cop. “I was initially approached by casting director Amarbir Bajwa for another part. I was happy to do it though it was a smaller role. I just wanted to work in a Priyadarshan film,” he recalled.

When nobody contacted him for months, Hashmi assumed he wasn’t in the running. Then came the twist. “A few months later, Amarbir called me for a bigger role. I said yes immediately. My role as a cop has action, humour, and is not just grey.”