'Ajai didn't want to do Auto Raja'

... despite being the crowd favourite for the role, and director Uday Prakash had to find a replacement.
When director Uday Prakash launched his project Auto Raja, he started it with a contest for fans to suggest the best choice to do the role made famous by Shankar Nag. Ajai Rao emerged topper and the actor's name was announced as the lead hero of the film. But soon Gandhinagar was abuzz with rumours that Golden Star Ganesh had replaced the actor.
'When Ajai agreed to do the film, he was very enthusiastic about it. We were to start shooting in January this year. Before the shoot, we'd asked him to attend a few workshops to prepare for the role. But he didn't turn up and requested us to delay the shoot, as he had already committed to four other projects at the time. During subsequent meetings he didn't seem to have the same enthusiasm any more. Moreover, he didn't give me a clear picture as to when he'd be able to join us for the project, so we decided to part ways,' says the filmmaker.
Thereafter, Uday approached three other heroes from Sandalwood's young brigade, as he wanted a bachelor in the role. But he claims that they showed minimal interest in the project. 'We'd wanted a bachelor to play the lead, but then I changed the script around and approached Ganesh,' says Uday.
Ganesh was the first choice
While Ganesh is shooting in the interiors of Coorg and was unavailable for comment, his wife Shilpa confirms that the actor will be a part of Auto Raja. 'When Uday first approached Ganesh, he was sceptical about the script. But the director came back with a reworked storyline which was just fine. If any other actor was approached, that's not our concern,' says Shilpa.
I had date issues: Ajai
'When Uday spoke to me about the film, I'd told him that I was busy and had committed to a couple of projects around the same time. I asked Uday if he could wait, but he said that the producers wanted to start immediately,' says Ajai. What about Uday's claims that he didn't show interest in the film? 'I didn't have dates to spare and that's the only reason I backed out,' asserts Ajai.
Contributed by Madhu Daithota (With inputs from Sharanya CR)