Anurag Kashyap is ready to unveil his next big release Nishaanchi and the filmmaker has chosen a debutant with a powerful legacy. Bal Thackeray's grandson Aaishvary Thackeray makes his acting debut with the film, and Kashyap says it was the actor's potential, not his surname, that sealed the deal.
During a conversation with NDTV, Kashyap explained how he cast Aaishvary and why he met his mother Smita Thackeray first. “Just after seeing his potential, literally, there's no audition. I saw his showreel and in his showreel, there was a monologue he had done from Manoj Bajpayee's Shool. I did not know who this boy was and I did not even know that he was a Maharashtrian. Forget him being a Thackeray. And he was so good when I reached out to him for a meeting. That's when the first thing I found out, he's a Thackeray. So I gave him the script and told him to react to the script.”
The director said meeting the family was a crucial step: “I had to meet. Obviously, that's what I do with all my actors, because I need time from them. What if they had some other plans. So, I met Smita ji and I told her very clearly that if I am doing a film with him, I want his time for me, and he was. I want all his time for me, and he can't do any other film as an actor. Because he's also a musician. He can do whatever he wants in music but as an actor, he cannot, if you have other plans for him, then please let me know now.”
Kashyap revealed that he follows a similar process with all his actors, including Vedika Pinto who plays Rangeeli Rinku in the film. “First thing was, I met her parents, she had already done two films. I said, you know what? I'll take enough time, because I also want people because she had the experience of being just an ornament in those two films. She was hungry to perform.”
He also shared how his team handled the challenge of Aaishvary's double role, filming in two stages to achieve a never-before-seen effect. “First we shot the second part of the film where the brother is seen all bulked up with long hair. Then we took two months break, got his hair and beard cut, he lost weight, he lost muscles and then we shot the next part. And the two characters will be seen interacting. And the credit is to Sylvester and Nishi from Red Chillies team that they pulled it off. I can very confidently say we pulled off what Sinners could not.”
Nishaanchi also stars Monika Pawar, Mohammad Zeeshan Aayub and Kumud Mishra. Produced by Ajay Rai, Vipin Agnihotri and Ranjan Sing, the film is set to release in theatres on September 19.
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