Priyadarshan felt Akshay Kumar would never say yes to playing villain in Haiwaan: 'Many top actors said no' | Interview
Here's the latest update from the Bollywood world:
Priyadarshan has cultivated an image as a master of comedy, much to the filmmaker’s chagrin. The man, who began in Hindi cinema with Gardish and Virasat, says he prefers making ‘serious’ films to comedies. On that note, he is making a Hindi thriller for the first time in years. His next, Haiwaan, sees him collaborate with Saif Ali Khan for the first time, while his frequent star Akshay Kumar plays a deranged killer this time. In a chat with Hindustan Times, the filmmaker talks about how he cast these two actors.
Adding to this, Akshay Kumar plays the antagonist in Priyadarshan's Haiwaan. Priyadarshan on casting Saif Ali Khan Haiwaan is inspired by Priyadarshan’s own 2016 Malayalam movie Oppam, which starred Mohanlal. The Hindi remake features Saif as the movie’s protagonist, a blind lift operator. On choosing him as the movie’s lead, Priyadarshan explains, “Saif is someone with whom I have wanted to make this movie for a while. His age and look fit the character quite well. When I narrated the movie to him, he shared, ‘I have never done something like this before’.”
Meanwhile, But the movie's Haiwaan is Akshay Kumar, who is re-entering his villain era after years. The star, who has frequently collaborated with Priyadarshan (in nine films), was not the first choice for the role of the antagonist, the filmmaker reveals. “I was looking at someone else,” he says. “I approached many actors, and they refused.”
Notably, Akshay’s entry in the movie happened after a chance conversation on the set of their previous movie, Bhooth Bangla. “I casually mentioned it to Akshay on the set of Bhooth Bangla, and he shared, ‘Why can’t I do this?’ And it happened,” recalls Priyadarshan. On being asked why he never approached Akshay earlier despite having a rapport with him, the filmmaker says, “I never thought he would accept this. Because by then, many actors of big stature had refused it. I wouldn’t say they were of the same stature as Akshay, but they shared no.”
As per the latest buzz, Priyadarshan says his casting process is simple. He requires a level of submission from his actors. “When an star surrenders to a script and a director, it works most of the time. But if he is trying to become the director and writer, things won’t work,” says the filmmaker.
In further updates, Directed by Priyadarshan, Haiwaan also stars Boman Irani, Saiyami Kher, Shriya Pilgaonkar, Rajpal Yadav, Sharib Hashmi, Rajesh Sharma, Manoj Joshi, and Jisshu Sengupta, while Mohanlal makes a cameo appearance. It also marks the late Asrani's final screen appearance. Produced by KVN Productions and Thespian Films, the movie will rollout in theatres on 11 September.
On top of that, Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Movie Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world. Read More
Source: Hindustan Times