- Saturday, April 27, 2024
By: Mohnish Singh
Filmmaker R Balki, who last directed Pad Man (2018) with Akshay Kumar, Sonam Kapoor, and Radhika Apte, is set to helm his next directorial. The yet-to-be-titled film has been creating a lot of buzz even before its official announcement came through a few weeks ago.
Touted to be a high-profile thriller, the upcoming film features Dulquer Salmaan, Shreya Dhanwanthary, Pooja Bhatt, and Sunny Deol in lead roles. While Balki had initially spoken about roping in Salmaan in his film, he never confirmed the other three actors’ casting. But now, the filmmaker has finally opened up about signing Pooja Bhatt and Sunny Deol.
“Yes, Sunny Deol is in my film. I have never worked with him. I do not know why I thought of him. But this was a role that needed a man with an understated machismo. Strong yet vulnerable. A man of a few words whose presence alone makes people pay attention to him. Sunny can command respect without raising his voice or fists. I wanted that personality for this character,” says Balki.
Just like Deol, the filmmaker will work with Malayalam superstar Dulquer Salman for the first time ever. “Dulquer is one of the most talented actors today. I wanted to work with him for the longest time. This thriller requires Dulquer’s presence. His fans will see him in an entirely new light,” he adds.
The film also stars Pooja Bhatt in a pivotal character. “There is much more to her than meets the eye. I am thankful to (director) Alankrita Shrivastava for bringing Pooja back in Bombay Begums (2021),” says the filmmaker.
So far, R Balki has directed five films in his career and all of them featured megastar Amitabh Bachchan in some or another way. No point in guessing that he continues the tradition with his next directorial as well.
“He has to be there. I have cast him in every single film of mine beginning with Cheeni Kum (2007) where he was the lead to Pad Man where he made a special appearance. In my thriller, Mr Bachchan will come in at a crucial juncture in the plot. His presence would be decisive, as it always is in my cinema. I would never cast him just for the sake of casting him,” he signs off.
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