Shah Rukh Khan and Aanand L. Rai
Filmmaker Aanand L. Rai and Shah Rukh Khan, who have collaborated for the first time are busy shooting for their upcoming film Zero. Rai is quite impressed with SRK as he says that the superstar has an energy and enthusiasm of a newcomer despite a career of over 25 years in filmdom.
"I am fascinated to see how a man with 25 years of a career, with so much success, fame, so many blockbusters, can still have childlike energy. He did not burn out. He is the most obedient actor I have seen ever in my life. His energy on set is like a young boy doing his first film. I want to say that he is the best newcomer a director will get on the set... In fact, that is something I am trying to learn from him," said Rai.
Rai said the strenuous shoot of the film was made smooth by the talented cast. "Physically the shoot was very exhausting but the whole team had a great time working towards it because of the fact that I worked with a bunch of enthusiastic actors, and Khan saab is one of them. He surprises me to an extent that at times it scares me to think whether as a director I am able to match up to his level of talent. He is an extraordinary man, not just as an actor but also as a human," said the director.
Were there any creative difference on set? "Well, Khan saab always has a way to say things, and he never says ‘I don't do a scene like this'. His approach is always suggestive. He would say, 'Shall we do it like this?' His attitude towards people is so nice," Rai said. As a filmmaker, Rai's focus has always been on good stories and experimental subjects. His production Shubh Mangal Saavdhan on erectile dysfunction is a case in point. With Zero, Rai is experimenting with the image of a superstar who is known for his romantic roles.
What made him take such a risk? He said: "With experience, I have realised that audience is growing every year to accept more experimental cinema. There is a synergy between audience and filmmakers. As a film director, I cannot say there is no audience for a certain genre of story because a different group of audience is receptive towards a variety of stories. Now we have an audience to support a film like Baahubali and a content-heavy film like Newton in the same year. We have a Shubh Mangal Saavdhan and a Lipstick Under My Burkha and both are appreciated by the audience. So I think the audience gives us the confidence to take the risk."
Zero is a multi-starrer, which also features Anushka Sharma and Katrina Kaif. Shah Rukh plays a dwarf in the movie. It is slated to release on December 21.
(With IANS inputs)
For all latest news, keep checking our Facebook page
