The makers of the live motion film, Aladdin were desperately looking for an Indian actor to play the lead, someone with a fresh face and someone who could fit the role of an adventurous boy.
It seems the wait is finally over, as per grapevine the makers have found their lead actor who will play the role of Aladdin (Will Smith will reportedly be playing the Genie in the film).
Are they really out here claiming it's hard to find an actor of Middle Eastern/South Asian descent who can act and sing to play Aladdin?!!!
— ReBecca Theodore (@FilmFatale_NYC) July 11, 2017
Director Guy Ritchie has finalised Siddharth Gupta for the important role. Although Disney has neither confirmed nor denied signing Siddharth, there are strong rumours that Siddharth has been signed.
Actor Siddharth Gupta will play the role of Prince Ali in the live action film Aladdin.
So who is Siddharth Gupta?
Siddharth made his debut in Bollywood with Ekta Kapoor’s film, Kuku Mathur Ki Jhand Ho Gayi, in 2014. He’s the younger brother of producer Vikas Gupta, known for making the MTV show Kaisi Hai Yaariyaan.
Lion’s Dev Patel and The Night Of’s Riz Ahmed were also considered for the role, but things didn’t work out.
As for Aladdin’s love interest Jasmine, the search is still going on. Indian actresses Sasha Agha and Tara Sutaria have auditioned for the role, and have been shortlisted from hundreds of candidates.
Sasha is daughter of singer Salma Agha, and was seen in Bollywood films like Aurangzeb and Desi Kattey.
“Aladdin” is based on “One Thousand And One Nights.”, commonly known as the “Arabian Nights,” however some of these stories actually take place in Central Asia (modern-day China). Disney’s representation of the story will mix cultures of multiple regions.
