Why Saif was initially unsure about 'Ek Hasina Thi'
What's the story
Director Sriram Raghavan recently revealed that actor Saif Ali Khan was initially hesitant to star in his 2004 neo-noir action thriller Ek Hasina Thi. The film, which marked Raghavan's directorial debut and was produced by Ram Gopal Varma, starred Khan opposite Urmila Matondkar. Speaking at a Masterclass session at the Red Lorry Film Festival, Raghavan shared details of their initial discussions.
Actor's dilemma
Why Khan was unsure about taking on the role
Raghavan revealed that Khan was unsure about taking on the role, as he had just done Dil Chahta Hai. "For Urmila, it was an author-backed role, and Saif was a little unsure because he had just done Dil Chahta Hai," he told PTI. "He had just started getting a sense of whether people liked or not; he had not had many successes for a long time."
Film's journey
'He trusted me,' Raghavan said about his relationship with Khan
Raghavan also revealed that Ek Hasina Thi was Khan's 44th film. "He was not sure whether this was the right thing to do. But somehow, we got along; we sort of liked the same films and books. So, he trusted me." The director also shared that he came up with the story for Ek Hasina Thi after losing out on directing Ab Tak Chhappan.
Script inspiration
Raghavan on Surti's script for 'Ek Hasina Thi'
Raghavan spoke highly of the script for Ek Hasina Thi, written by Pooja Ladha Surti. "I did it with the intention of liking it and found good things in it. It was quite raw and was written more like a novel," he said. Surti has since worked with Raghavan on films such as Badlapur, Andhadhun, and Merry Christmas.
Director's journey
Raghavan's latest release, other interesting tidbits
Raghavan's latest release is the war drama Ikkis, starring Agastya Nanda as Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal. The film has been praised for its peace-oriented narrative, but hasn't managed to draw large audiences to theaters. The director also revealed that he once considered adapting Ira Levin's celebrated novel A Kiss Before Dying into a film. However, he had to abandon the idea as Shah Rukh Khan-starrer Baazigar was being made at that time and follows the same story.