Filmmaker Mohit Suri, who is scripting his next film, which is going to star two heroes, has stated that he has approached actor Farhan Akhtar for it but denied being in talks with actor Aditya Roy Kapur. Speculations were doing the rounds that the ace director has approached both the actors and had almost locked the cast.
"Aditya has never been approached. He is a friend of mine, he comes over to my house all the time, it's not to do with work. But people confuse that with work and think I am working with him," Suri told PTI.
"But yes, I did approach Farhan. But I need another actor for the movie. Until I don't have that, I don't have a film. It's a two-hero project," he added.
The 36-year-old director, whose credits also include "Half Girlfriend", "Woh Lamhe", said the movie will touch upon a father-son relationship.
"I am writing it at the moment. I am not sure if that's going to be my next or not. I still have to submit the draft to the actors and cast the film. It is a personal journey, which I've used in a semi-autobiographical way. I hope I get the right platform to make the film," he said.
This year has seen films set in small towns ? "Badrinath Ki Dulhania", "Toilet Ek Prem Katha" to "Shubh Mangal Saavdhan" emerge as hits.
Asked his takeaway from the trend of chronicling stories from the heartland, Suri said, "I think thats always been there in some way. The films which have lasted the test of the times have been the ones which were more inward. It doesnt necessarily mean heartland, it could mean human."
But the director said it does not mean escapist cinema is is a thing of the past.
"Baahubali 2 was the largest hit this year. I am not saying it was escapist but it did humongous business. It is a larger-than-life film with real emotions. I wont say it this type of films are done and dusted. Every industry has seen this trend. Both sets of films can coexist easily."
Suri will be seen mentoring young filmmakers on MTVs "Fame-istan". The show aims to give a platform to four aspiring directors to make a short-film and be guided by industrys bigwigs.
The director said he was "subconsciously trying to do" the same thing in his life, as he has given platforms to artistes such as Kunal Kemmu, Shraddha Kapoor, Atif Aslam, Arijit Singh among others.
"Mentoring is like parenting. You can give guidance and platform but you cant impose your life on them. So when this opportunity came, I jumped at it. After making many films, I feel this is my way of giving something back to the industry," he said.
The first movie from the show airs on MTV on October 6.
(With PTI Inputs)
