One Bollywood filmmaker that makes it to almost everyone’s favourite list is Zoya Akhtar. From the background score in her movies to the characters and the narrative, A Zoya Akhtar film definitely stands apart from the rest. But when the filmmaker started in the industry, it wasn’t an easy ride for her.

The director was at the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne where she spoke about her first film, Luck By Chance.

She shared:

It took me seven years to make my first film and six actors said no to it. That film couldn’t be made on the budget with a certain leading man. Back then, there were no grey areas. Some were clear that they didn’t want to play a morally ambivalent part and others didn’t get it either.

Luck By Chance starred Farhan Akhtar and Konkona Sen in the lead role.

Now, the Dil Dhadakne Do director has moved on from the notion that she can only cast one certain actor in a role. She also spoke about how Gully Boy was the first film she got a ‘yes’ fro the actors in the first go.

Zoya said:

Gully Boy is my first film where I got a yes from all my actors in the first go. I’m here to make films so now I’m not latched onto this association that I wrote this role for a particular actor.

Zoya had started shooting for her second Netflix project, Ghost Stories which stars Janhvi Kapoor, Vijay Varma among others.