Benegal's first choice in this case was Hrithik Roshan, fresh from playing Jalaludin Akbar in the highly intense period film Jodha Akbar. Though no direct talks were held, the news that he was being considered for the role did reach Hrithik's ears. As anyone would imagine Hrithik would have been only too happy to hear that. But on the contrary what he said came as a bit of a shocker. He said that after playing Akbar, he was not felling like entering into another period flick of a king turned saint turned God which would predictably be full of horses, palaces, battle scenes and then enlightenment. Right now, he said that he was in a mood for something contemporary. Evidently this is a tired man after a grueling year of horse rides and heavy costumes.

But Benegal has a different take on this. He says that the script has not yet been narrated to Hrithik and that the movie is not what Hrithik is thinking it will be. It will be different and the role will be worth considering. When Benegal says things to this effect, they have to be believed. So let's wait and watch. Who will play Buddha?