Varun Dhawan refutes rumours of being first choice for Scam 1992

Varun Dhawan has denied being the first choice for Scam 1992. The actor corrected a Twitter user who said he was originally going to play Harshad Mehta on the Zee5 show.

The original tweet read: 'Did you know? #VarunDhawan was the first choice to play the iconic role of #HarshadMehta in Scam 1992. Later director Hansal Mehta suggested #PratikGandhi and the rest is history.' Responding to it, Varun wrote that only Pratik Gandhi could have done justice to the role. "Really not true I think the only choice for this show can be #pratikgandhi absolutely brilliant he is. big fan #scam 1992."

Earlier, even Hansal Mehta had shot down a rumour about the show. He fact-checked a report that claimed Scam 1992 is the top-rated television programme on IMDb. Responding the report, he wrote in a tweet, "Not exactly true. We are around number 21. This news is statistically inaccurate." With a 9.0 rating, Scam 1992 is indeed at the number 21 spot on IMDb's list of the top 250 shows.

The show has been acclaimed by critics and was also a big hit with fans. The Hindustan Times review read, "While he (Pratik) hardly resembles Harshad Mehta physically, he channels the charm and conviction, and is never more captivating than when he lets hubris take over. 'My biggest crime is that I am Harshad Mehta,' he says even when the chips are down and the central agencies were on his scent."

Set in 1980's and 90's Bombay, Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story follows the life of Harshad Mehta, a stockbroker who took the stock market to dizzying heights and his catastrophic downfall. It also stars Shreya Dhanwanthary and Satish Kaushik, among others.