Rohit Shetty admits being worried about casting for Arshad Warsi and Tusshar Kapoor’s characters in Golmaal: ‘I never thought it would become a cult film’ | Hindi Movie News – Times of India

Golmaal: Fun Unlimited, released in 2006, marked the beginning of the highly successful Golmaal film series. Director Rohit Shetty, known for his signature style of blending action with humor, crafted a lighthearted and entertaining film that resonated well with the audience. He has now opened up about how the story of Golmaal came to him and how he zeroed in on the cast, which includes Ajay Devgn, Sharman Joshi, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Rimi Sen, and Paresh Rawal, among others.
Speaking about how Golmaal happened, Rohit told Bharti Singh and Haarsh Limbachiyaa that he made a film called Zameen with Ajay Devgn and Abhishek Bachchan in 2003 but it did not work. So Ajay told him that he will make a film with him again. While he was writing a thriller, he met writer-director Neeraj Vora, who wrote films like Hera Pheri, Ajnabee, Hulchul and Bhagam Bhag, among several others.
Rohit was signed by production company named Ashtavinayak. He met Neeraj, who was a frequent visitor, there. When Neeraj asked him, ‘Should I narrate a story to you?’ Rohit was stunned that a writer-director of his stature was making an offer. Neeraj then narrated the plot of Golmaal to him. Rohit believes that it was luck and not his hard work but he mentioned that he really worked hard on that story.

He then took Neeraj to Ajay who was ready to do the film and was like, ‘Jo karna hai karle (Do whatever you want to)’ They completed writing the film and made it in the hope that it would help Rohit set his career and would do average business. He never imagined that Golmaal would become such a cult film.

Rohit further revealed they had Ajay and Sharman Joshi on the board but they could not find anyone for Arshad Warsi’s character, adding that 2-3 actors had already rejected the role. Then they were told that Munna Bhai MBBS has been postponed and Arshad is free. They narrated the script to him at night and within a couple of days Arshad was in Goa shooting the film.

Similar things happened with Tusshar Kapoor. Rohit asked him, ‘There’s no dialogue. Will you manage?’ He said yes and that character also became a cult. Rohit admitted that he was scared about that character since there was no dialogue.
Eventually, Rohit Shetty’s direction emphasised impeccable comedic timing, with the ensemble cast delivering rib-tickling performances. Golmaal: Fun Unlimited was a major commercial success, setting the stage for the success of the subsequent films in the Golmaal series.