Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj says though superstars are taking risks by doing out-of-the-box films today, for him, Aamir Khan is the only daring actor. Bhardwaj, who has worked with Ajay Devgn, Saif Ali Khan and Shahid Kapoor in the past, says he needs an apt story to collaborate with top actors. “I want to work with superstars. I approach them. If there would have been some response, they would have been in some film of mine. But they aren’t there. There has to be a right subject.
“They are taking risk today and it is good sign for our cinema. Aamir Khan is the only daring actor. He transformed amazingly for Dangal. He admits and acknowledges his age and works accordingly,” Bhardwaj said.
He is happy with the rave reviews his latest directorial venture Pataaka — featuring relatively new faces like Sanya Malhotra and Radhika Madan, received. The director acknowledges he has his own set of audience which enjoys watching his kind of cinema.
“I have a small or limited audience but I make films to cater to everyone. I would want everybody to watch my films but that doesn’t happen. So you don’t know your audience. And the day you come to know about this, you are finished. For me, it is always about the story I want to convey to people.”
There has been speculation that Bhardwaj, 53, is set to adapt a book for Netflix. “Big filmmakers will be coming there. Things are shifting. If you want to watch a spectacle then watch on the big screen. If you want to watch content then digital is the best medium,” he says.
His next film was set to bring together Piku actors - Irrfan Khan and Deepika Padukone on screen in a gritty drama reportedly titled Sapna Didi. The film is on hold due to Irrfan’s health. The actor is likely to return to India after Diwali, but Bhardwaj believes the Hindi Medium star might not begin work immediately. “We will start work on our film next year maybe,” he says. The critically-acclaimed filmmaker is part of the international jury of the 20th edition of the Jio MAMI Mumbai Film Festival.
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