Aaliyah Qureishi with SRK. (courtesy: jhalliverse)
Singer-actor Aaliyah Qureishi, who goes by her stage name Jhalli, recently featured as one of the six members in Shah Rukh's super powerful women squad in Jawan. The actress, in an interview with India Today opened up on being cast in the film. When she was cast in the film, at first she thought it was a "prank." Sharing how she landed the role, Aaliyah told India Today, "I landed the role two years ago, in 2021 when I auditioned with Mukesh Chhabra casting. Around this time, I was really looking for work because I hadn't auditioned for anything in a couple of months. I called up all the casting agents whose numbers I had. I spammed them. I was like 'hi do you have any auditions that I can test for?' So, a guy from Mukesh Chhabra's office said 'yeah there's one Red Chillies film, it has six girls and you would be auditioning and it's with a South director, Atlee."
She added, "So I was excited, but I try not to get excited about auditions before getting them. I knew it was going to be a really hard process and so many people were competing for the same role. So I went in, I tested. It was a scene that Atlee sir had written for the movie. I didn't think anything of it, I went home and a few days later I got a call from Mukesh Chhabra Casting saying that the director wanted to meet me."
She recalled her first meeting with the film's director Atlee and his wife Priya and added, "So I went to Red Chillies office and I met Atlee sir and his wife Priya. They were really lovely, and they asked me a few questions about my hair and if I had done any martial arts or stunt training in the past. I had done boxing, so I told them. I was totally willing to change my hair too, because I had the craziest hair style in the past. He asked me if I was a musician, and I said, yeah, I am a musician."
"Everything just seemed to work out well. Then a few days later, I got a call from the casting agent saying that I had been casted. And actually, when I got the call, I didn't believe him. I was like Am I supposed to give the next round?' He told me, 'No, no, you have been casted in the film. I kept asking, 'But how is that possible?' It was a really surreal moment. I thought he was pranking me because it was a Shah Rukh Khan film," India Today quoted Aaliyah Qureishi as saying.
Aaliyah share some BTS moments from the sets of Jawan.
ICYMI, her note for co-star Shah Rukh Khan.
Directed by Atlee and produced by SRK and Gauri Khan's Red Chillies Entertainment,Jawan released in Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu. The film also stars Nayanthara, Vijay Sethupathi and Deepika Padukone. Jawan has managed to impress the audience and critics alike.