'Taxi No. 9211' director explains Nana Patekar-John Abraham's casting
What's the story
Milan Luthria, the director of the 2006 comedy-thriller Taxi No. 9211, recently spoke to Variety India about the film's casting process. The movie, starring Nana Patekar and John Abraham, was moderately successful at the box office but gained a cult following over time. It celebrated its 20th anniversary on February 24 this year.
Casting process
'I thought that these two guys together...'
Luthria revealed that he wanted to cast two actors who were complete opposites of each other. He revealed, "So when I thought of Nana, and I mulled over who would be the antithesis, and thought of John." "I thought that these two guys together would be the most unexpected casting. I remember I locked them both on the same day, and it just fell into place."
Casting details
Both actors were locked on the same day
Luthria remembered that he called Patekar, introduced himself, and was asked to meet him at the Worli Firing Range, where he was practicing rifle shooting. "So, I went, and I narrated the idea to him. He immediately said yes." "Then I spoke to John and met him at Taj Land's End, and he found the story, 'very interesting.'"
Chalk and cheese
'It was like chalk and cheese'
Luthria added, "It was two diametrically opposite kinds of actors with opposite looks, opposite appeal, opposite audiences, opposite careers, opposite styles of acting." "It was like chalk and cheese. And in my head, the film was a Tom and Jerry kind of movie." "I didn't know we would have this kind of crackling chemistry between the two. It just happened." The film also featured Sameera Reddy, Shivaji Satam, and Sonali Kulkarni in pivotal roles.