I lost 'Slumdog...' because of beefy look: Ruslaan

New Delhi, Aug 11 (IANS) Ruslaan Mumtaz, recently seen in "Teree Sang", says he could have bagged Dev Patel's role in the Oscar winning movie "Slumdog Millionaire" if he had retained his lean look for the final audition.

"Truthfully, it would have been wonderful if I would have got to play the role in 'Slumdog Millionaire' - it was a fantastic film. But it's okay if I couldn't. I don't regret it," Ruslaan told IANS.

The 26-year-old actor, who made his Bollywood debut in 2007 with "Mera Pehla Pehla Pyaar", says he failed to get the role because he was called for the final auditions almost four months after the first auditions.

"When I gave my first audition, I was quite lean - the way they (makers of 'Slumdog Millionaire') wanted the character to be. But when they called me four months later for the final auditions, I had a beefed up look," Ruslaan said.

"I couldn't wait for 'Slumdog Millionaire' and I accepted another film called 'Jaane Kahaan Se Aayi Hai' where I had to play a superstar and I wasn't supposed to look lean. So, when the crew of 'Slumdog...' saw me in the final auditions, I looked different and then didn't cast me," he added.

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Teree Sang