When the first look of Saand Ki Aankh was released earlier this month, netizens criticised the makers for roping in Taapsee Pannu, 31, and Bhumi Pednekar, 29, to play the country's oldest women sharpshooters, 60-year-olds Chandro and Prakashi Tomar. In an industry where roles are unfortunately hard to come by for senior female artistes, detractors opined that the Anurag Kashyap-production should have stayed true to the story and cast age-appropriate actors.

Taking the critique head-on, co-producer Nidhi Parmar claims that the team had approached almost 15 senior actors for the role, before tapping the younger bracket. "We approached actors in the age bracket of 55 to 60 since we felt the portrayals would be more convincing. However, most declined the role as they didn't want to be seen in an unglamorous avatar, or felt that they weren't ready for the physical preparation that the film demanded," she says, refusing to name names. "Even younger actresses had the same concerns. Bhumi and Taapsee have shown a great deal of pluck in essaying a role that's almost twice their actual age."