With this insight, Utekar set out to make ZHZB with Kaushal and Khan, who were his first choice for the roles. In fact, the lead character of Kapil was written with Kaushal in mind. “While we needed star value, we also wanted someone who looks smart, and is believable as a middle-class guy. Vicky has a grasp of the ground reality, and can portray the middle class realistically. When I met Sara, I realised she is exactly like Soumya [her character].” 

Slipping into the roles did not come easy. The two actors did month-long workshops to understand their characters’ mindset, and the milieu the story is set in. “There is an India beyond Khar, Santacruz, and Juhu that people don’t know about. In small towns, people save daily for the next day. They won’t buy anything without bargaining hard; their choice of clothes, lifestyle, and mode of transport are all a reflection of their middle-class nature. Vicky and Sara had to absorb these traits. Vicky had to learn the Indori dialect. So, eight days before we started shooting, Sara and he reached Indore. They interacted with the locals, [studied] how they dress, their manner of speaking, and behaviour.”

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