Hansal Mehta reveals no producer was ready to fund Shahid starring Rajkummar Rao in it; says, “Shahid was a dream role and he recognised that” : Bollywood News
Acclaimed filmmaker Hansal Mehta opened up about his collaboration with actor Rajkummar Rao in a recent interview. Reflecting on their first meeting, Mehta revealed that he rediscovered his artistic voice and found inspiration in Rajkummar while working on the film Shahid. Despite facing challenges in finding a lead actor who would fully commit to the script, Mehta remained steadfast in his vision. Eventually, Rajkummar came into the picture, recommended by Mukesh Chabbra and Anurag Kashyap. Despite initial doubts, Mehta sensed a connection and an undeniable energy during their first meeting, recognizing Rajkummar’s honesty and hunger to prove himself.
Hansal Mehta reveals no producer was ready to fund Shahid starring Rajkummar Rao in it; says, “Shahid was a dream role and he recognised that”
Talking to Humans of Bombay, Hansal said, “I found Shahid Azmi’s story and my life restarted. Basically, I found my voice again and my muse in finding that voice was Rajkummar. Shahid, the script was sent to a lot of stars, and somehow either the star did not want to work with me, or if the star wanted to work with me, he wanted to change the way Shahid was written, change the narrative completely. I put my foot down. I said, ‘Either it is this or it’s nothing’.”
He further added, “And in that process, Mukesh Chabbra, Anurag (Kashyap), just threw Rajkummar, my way. They kept saying that meet Rajkummar. I said ‘I can’t meet him. What will I do with him?’. There was no money. The producer said, ‘Anurag is going to send Rajkummar to you. I’m not funding it. I’m not putting money in for Rajkummar’. He was very new. He had just done Love, Sex Aur Dhokha.”
Lauding Rajkummar, Hansal stated, “They said have chai with him right now, he’s standing outside your office. He walks in, and in half an hour, I mean, there was something. I felt the right energy. I felt I connected to him and I saw honesty and hunger. He said he wanted to prove it. Shahid was a dream role and he recognised that…”
Hansal Mehta collaborated with Rajkummar Rao in Shahid, City Lights, Aligarh and Omerta.
Meanwhile on the film front, Rajkummar Rao recently starred in Anubhav Sinha’s film Bheed. The film also featured Bhumi Pednekar, Pankaj Kapur and Dia Mirza. Bheed is about the hardships faced by a section of the people because of the lockdown imposed in 2020 to combat the COVID-19 pandemic. Interestingly, the film has been shot in black and white format by Anubhav Sinha.
More Pages: Shahid Box Office Collection , Shahid Movie Review
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