Filmmaker Anurag Kashyap revealed that Ranveer Singh was first signed for 'Bombay Velvet', but as the budget of the film increased, he was replaced by Ranbir Kapoor. "Nobody had faith in him. Big directors...used to call him 'treadmill' because he had so much energy," Anurag said. The industry wasn't convinced of his star power at the time, he added.