 She nevertheless helped Bose by assisting Sayani Gupta, who was eventually cast as Khanum.Having decided to cast a professional for the part of Laila, Bose approached Kalki Koechlin, who she said was her "first and only choice" for the role.Since Koechlin was still shooting for "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" (2013) at the time, Bose began looking for other actresses to play the role, but felt that "something was missing" in each one.