Gulshan Devaiah known for his roles in Shaitan, Hunterrr and A Death in the Gunj had to turn down Kangana Ranaut-starrer Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi. The reason was he was recovering from knee constructive surgery, and the doctors had advised him to rest for a year. He had, however, already accepted the film Mard Ko Dard Nahi Hota (MKDNH), in which he plays the role of a karate expert. He knew it was too lucrative an offer to refuse.

Manikarnika was offered to Devaiah immediately after MKDNH, and he knew that the film would become huge. He was offered a key role, but since he had already accepted MKDNH, he wasn't able to take up the offer for Manikarnika. Devaiah would have also had to adapt to a whole new lifestyle and learn multiple fitness techniques if he had been doing Manikarnika. The film would have required him to learn gruelling skills like sword fighting, among other things.