Kapoor & Sons director Shakun Batra has spoken about how actors Rishi Kapoor, Ratna Pathak and Rajat Kapoor “instantly agreed” to be part of his film. Speaking with Variety India, Shakun revealed that he “arrived at these actors after being rejected by many other actors.”
Kapoor & Sons director Shakun Batra talks about many actors rejecting film
Talking about the casting process, Shakun Batra said, “Now that you think of these things, it feels big. But at that time, obviously, the actors took a while. Because we arrived at these actors after being rejected by many other actors. But Rishi (Kapoor) sir, Ratna Pathak and Rajat Kapoor agreed to it instantly. As I said, now it feels unimaginable. But back then, those things happened.”
Shakun opens up about taking risks with the movie
He was asked about taking creative risks with the film only for theatre audiences. He said, “At that time, honestly, I didn’t care if it was. We just spoke about it being something that I wanted to do. And it was still possible to make these films. People didn’t have these kinds of conversations all the time. People were still making these kinds of heartfelt stories. So it just felt easier to make it then than now, I think. So, I guess at that time, so many questions weren’t in my head, and it helped. Because I wasn’t thinking so much about box office and weekend and theatrical.”
About Kapoor & Sons
The 2016 family comedy drama film was directed by Shakun and produced by Hiroo Yash Johar, Karan Johar and Apoorva Mehta under Dharma Productions. The film stars Rishi Kapoor, Sidharth Malhotra, Fawad Khan, Alia Bhatt, Ratna Pathak Shah and Rajat Kapoor. The film, which was a blockbuster at the box office, received critical acclaim.
About Shakun’s career
He made his directorial debut with Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu in 2008. Shakun also directed Strangers In The Night (2011) and Searching for Sheela (2021). He was also part of the 2008 film Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na as an actor.
His latest directorial is the 2022 film Gehraiyaan. The romantic drama film was produced by Dharma Productions, Viacom18 Studios and Jouska Films. The film stars Deepika Padukone, Siddhant Chaturvedi, Ananya Panday, Dhairya Karwa, Rajat Kapoor and Naseeruddin Shah.
