Mumbai: Vijay Krishna Acharya has made
possible the first collaboration between Amitabh Bachchan and
Aamir Khan for his next "Thugs of Hindostan", but the
filmmaker says he cannot afford to be a fanboy while he is
directing the two stars.
Bachchan, 75, and Aamir will share the screen space
for the first time in the period-action-adventure, slated to
hit the screens next Diwali.
The director says he does not fall into the trap of
liking or respecting one actor over the other.
"Mr Bachchan is such a senior actor, a big star. Everyone
is in awe of him and he is such a great guy to work with. He
is totally professional, makes everyone feel at ease.
"What I have to tell myself is to see that I don't fall
into the trap of being a fanboy. That is the only thing I have
to watch out for, because as a director, I cannot like one
actor more than the other nor can I have too much respect and
awe. My job on the set is to call the shots," says Acharya in
an interview.
The director, who has worked with Aamir, 52, in "Dhoom
3", says he does not approach artistes for the sake of it.
"I never approach an actor till I have finished the
script. Once I am done, I discuss it with the actors. In
'Dhoom 3', Aamir and I followed this process because there was
a double role, we needed to create two different characters.
"In this film (Thugs), language plays a huge role, so
we have had reading sessions just to get a certain kind of
rhythm to it," he says.
Acharya, however, is tight-lipped about the project
and hopes the film is shaping well.
"Thugs of Hindostan" also stars Katrina Kaif and
Fatima Sana Sheikh.
The director is not new to helming multi-starrers, having
debuted with "Tashan", which featured Akshay Kumar, Anil
Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan.
For Acharya, the casting call depends on the script and
he considers himself lucky to have got the chance to direct
actors who also happen to be stars.
"It (casting) all depends on the story. If I want to tell
a story to 10 people, I don't need a star. If I want to tell
it to 10,000 people, the best case scenario is you get an
actor and a star. In both of my films, I have had people, had
a good actor-star mix, be it Aamir or Akshay...
"What I learnt was, a real star never comes on set
wearing stardom. Anybody who is at the top of his game will
never. Today, the sheer presence of a star cannot make a film
work. The film is the star, just that a lot happens between
Friday and Monday," he says.
The director was speaking on the sidelines of an event
here.
