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“After Ghajini and Holiday, there is some pressure but I hope that Akira will reach out to audiences of every class,” says director AR Murugadoss, as he gets ready to launch his Sonakshi Sinha starrer action flick Akira onto the big screen.
He has just started shooting a bilingual film with Mahesh Babu, apparently the most expensive film of his career, with a production budget exceeding Rs 90 crore. AR Murugadoss has given us big hits in Tamil and Hindi cinema with Aamir Khan and Akshay Kumar already. Now, will Sonakshi Sinha turn out to be the shiniest new feather in his cap? The director chats with The Quint and spills the beans on Akira and a lot more.
Q: Sonakshi Sinha, Konkana Sen Sharma and Anurag Kashyap in one film makes for very interesting casting. How did you manage that?
A R Murugadoss: Yes! Anurag sir plays a bad cop in the film and the part that he is playing is very powerful, and is not something that you have seen. Before casting him, we auditioned many actors and were not happy with most of them. Hence, we wanted to go with something new. Someone that people have not seen before. I discussed it with the team and Shruti Mahajan (the film’s casting director) suggested Anurag Kashyap’s name.
For a second we thought if that is even possible, because we know him as a director and I am a huge fan of the films that he has directed. But I remember watching some of his old films and many interviews in which he is brilliant with modulating his voice, and has a great screen presence.
I mean, Anurag Kashyap is such a big director and we knew we cannot ask him to audition for us but he liked the script and hopped on board immediately. Honestly, I didn’t expect him to be such a great actor, and I won’t be surprised if after the film, he turns into an actor-director.
Q: Did the director inside Anurag have a tiff with the actor that you wanted him to be on set?
A R Murugadoss: Once he was on set, we discussed about the film, but never about the direction of the scene. We would discuss about some other script that we found interesting. I would go to him to discuss the dialogues. I remember while he was dubbing, he would discuss someone else’s performance, and talk about what dialogues would match that character’s personality. He would help us re-dub it as well.
Q: Sonakshi has been through a big transformation since Tevar. Do you enjoy watching your actors transform into your protagonists?
A R Murugadoss: If the character is demanding, like that of Aamir in Ghajini, or now Sonakshi in Akira, yes. But not in all characters. If the character is as demanding then it definitely it needs some hard work and a lot of homework from the actor’s side.
Honestly, Sonakshi has done a very good job for this part. She learnt martial arts for six months, lost weight, cut her long hair, did everything that was needed to bring Akira alive. We concentrated on minute details of her character as well and completely changed the way she looks. Sonakshi is a very cooperating and a hard working girl.
Q: Were you pleasantly surprised with Sonakshi’s performance?
A R Murugadoss: You know, I was not surprised with the action bits but how she has treated the emotional quotient of the film. Frankly, there were moments when the entire set got up to clap for her after the take. It is more than my expectation to be honest.
Q: Akshay Kumar has been constantly praising Akira. Tell us a bit about the bond you share with him since Holiday.
A R Murugadoss: Before we started shooting for Akira, Akshay sir had seen the film in the Tamil version and he really liked it. He also told me that this film will definitely work in Bollywood. He knows the script of the film and that is why he is supporting Akira and Sonakshi so much these days. He is very supportive.
Q: Recently Konkana said that you are very particular about what you want from your actors. Is it?
A R Murugadoss: I am like this from my first film, but after Ghajini I changed a little. I got influenced by Aamir Khan (laughs). He influenced me to be all the more detailed about not just the characters but the set, costume, make-up and every minuscule detail that goes into making a film. It should be perfect. So now we plan very well before the shoot with the actors and the technicians.
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