Fahadh Faasil and Vir Das Auditioned for Tom Cruise's Digger Role

Fahadh Faasil's Audition for Digger

The role that ultimately went to Riz Ahmed in the upcoming Tom Cruise film, Digger, was highly sought after. Reports indicate that at least two Indian actors were in contention for this part. Recently, an interview featuring Fahadh Faasil has surfaced, revealing that he auditioned for the role. The South Indian actor mentioned that he was asked to travel to the United States and stay there for several months, but complications regarding travel expenses hindered his participation. Additionally, Emmy-winning comedian Vir Das also disclosed that he had auditioned for the same role.

Fahadh Faasil's Missed Chance with Digger

Following the release of the Digger trailer on July 13, fans in India noted striking resemblances between Riz Ahmed's character and Fahadh Faasil. A video from an earlier interview where Fahadh discussed his audition for writer-director Alejandro G. Iñárritu gained traction online. In the interview with Cue Studio, he expressed in Malayalam, "To master the accent, I was advised to spend three to four months in the US. However, they were not willing to cover the expenses, which is why I had to decline. Otherwise, I would have jumped at the opportunity."

The actor from Aavesham also mentioned that the financial aspects of the film did not align with his expectations. He felt that investing so much effort into perfecting an accent was not worth it, and he lacked motivation for the role. Fahadh auditioned for Digger virtually, and both parties concluded that it might not be a suitable fit. Recently, he appeared in the Tamil film Idhayam Murali and the Malayalam thriller Patriot, and is currently working on projects titled Don’t Trouble The Trouble and Karate Chandran.

Vir Das's Experience with Digger

After the trailer's release, Vir Das took to social media to share that he had auditioned for Digger twice. In a now-deleted post, he expressed, "I auditioned for this twice. They chose Riz Ahmed. I was quite disappointed, but that’s how it goes. The script is absolutely wild, in a fantastic way."

Overview of Digger

Digger features a star-studded cast including John Goodman, Sandra Hüller, Michael Stuhlbarg, Jesse Plemons, Robert John Burke, Emma D'Arcy, Burn Gorman, and Sophie Wilde. In the film, Riz Ahmed portrays Ganesh, while Tom Cruise takes on the role of Digger Rockwell, an oil tycoon who must demonstrate that he is humanity's savior before the catastrophe he has caused obliterates everything. The film is set to hit theaters worldwide on October 2, 2026.