March 17, 2017
Hansal Mehta will live with a regret of not approaching late Bollywood
actress Sridevi for a film he had in his mind. But the filmmaker is determined
to make a movie on her, and says he might approach actress Vidya Balan for the
project.
The news of Sridevi's sudden demise last month left everyone
shocked. Mehta took to Twitter to share his grief, with the post: "There will
never be another Sridevi. I was about to approach her for a film. That film will
now be dedicated to her. If it finds an actor."
Prodded about the
project, Mehta told IANS: "I will always regret that I didn't approach her and
could not make a movie with her. But I will make a film on her."
From her
surreal beauty to her charming smile to her perfect dance moves, Sridevi -- who
began acting as a profession at the age of four -- was known for her ability to
slip into myriad roles.
Be it her double role in "ChaalBaaz", as a woman
with retrograde amnesia in "Sadma", a shape-shifting woman in "Nagina", a crime
journalist in "Mr. India", a mother who wants acceptance from her daughter in
"English Vinglish", or the revengeful mother in "Mom" -- Sridevi got into any
character with much ease.
Mehta got a little introspective as he got
talking about the project, divulging that the film may just be based on a book.
But he refused to give out any more information.
"It will be made," he
assured, adding: "There are actors (who I have in my mind). I might approach
Vidya Balan. I will make the film," he reiterated emphatically.
At the
moment, Mehta is looking forward to "Omerta" -- his next project with actor
Rajkummar Rao. Through the film, he traces the life of British-Pakistani
terrorist Omar Saeed Sheikh.
The film is shot in real locations across
London and India while recreating Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Known for
intense dramas like "Shahid" and "Aligarh", Mehta said: "We make the films
because we want to challenge ourselves. We choose stories which are
challenging... That is the joy of making the film."
With "Omerta", he
wants to "provoke a thought".
"My intention is not to disturb people...
my intention is to provoke a thought. My intention is to let you have your own
emotions, your questions after watching the film.
"This film has a
variety of meanings for different people. For some, it is a thriller, for some
it can be very cool. At a festival, women were swooning over Raj. They loved his
evil act. They thought it was cool.
"In Toronto, there were angry people,
people were numb, people who were very upset. All these reactions are a result
of the film depicting a certain truth," Mehta said.
Presented by Swiss
Entertainment and Karma Media, and produced by Nahid Khan, the film is releasing
on April 20.
As it nears its release date, Mehta is anxious about how the
Indian audience will react to the film.
"I am actually very anxious. I
want the people to watch the film. It is an important film. It is a complete
anti-hero film. There is an antagonist who is unapologetic and unsympathetic. He
is your principal character and to have that kind of principal character as your
main lead and make a thriller...I am interested to see how the audience will
respond to this anti-hero," he said.