Amit Rai REACTS After Biopic of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj With Shahid Kapoor Gets Shelved
Shahid Kapoor has been impressing and entertaining the audience with his charm and good performances ever since he made his debut. The actor, who was last seen in Rosshan Andrrew’s Deva was all set to star in Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj’s biopic, directed by Amit Rai. However, the project has now been shelved. In a recent interview, Rai revealed that the biopic is off the table and also slammed the cruel system of the industry.
He told Mid-Day, “The system is so cruel. Even if you have proved your mettle with a R180 crore film (OMG 2), it’s not enough. How is a director supposed to work here, under these systems of casting, production, star, and management? You live with a story for five years, and within minutes, somebody writes a five-pager, pointing out what is wrong and what is right in the film.”
However, he learnt from his experience and turned producer for his next film, Dharma. Hungarian cinematographer Mate Herbai and Hollywood action specialist Isaac Hamon came on board for this story that revolves around a child and a dog. “I did four months of casting, called the action director I like the most and said that I have a story, but I don’t have money. So many people agreed just on the basis of our story.”
Pankaj Tripathi, who worked with him on OMG 2 is a part of the film and Akshay Kumar, too, had expressed interest in it. The filmmaker admitted that these two actors are generous, but others are selective when it comes to being a part of something. Rai added, “An actor will only do what’s working at the box office. Very few actors were honest to me. Sometimes, they weren’t interested in being part of a film that’s speaking the truth about society and instead wanted to do a love story. But when I took a love story to them, they said, ‘This is an expensive film, this is a period love story.’ So, the criterion kept changing. [The truth is that] they will say yes to you once you enter their circle.”
Rai started his career as associate director on the 2008 Marathi film Tingya. He then directed Road to Sangam, OMG 2 and served as a writer on Dear Jassi,
Also Read: Subhash Ghai CONFIRMS Aitraaz 2 With OMG 2 Director Amit Rai
