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Priyadarshan on why Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan's Haiwaan couldn't have been made with younger actors: They are insecure
Priyadarshan talks about his equation with Akshay Kumar, Haiwaan, and how young actors approach multi-starrers differently than the stars of the ‘90s and 2000s
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Filmmaker Priyadarshan reunites with actor Akshay Kumar for their upcoming film Haiwaan, also starring Saif Ali Khan, but the genre marks a shift for the duo known for their iconic comedies. Talking about taking the different route, Priyadarshan says, “Films should not become repetitive. I believe that when you see films like Padman, Rustom, and all those films, you see Akshay Kumar is capable of doing other kinds of movies also, not only comedy and those films are successful. I was not planning to do this film with Akshay, but Akshay himself insisted that he has never played a psycho. I thought he was kidding, but he said I'm serious about it,” he says.
Having two actors of such stature together is a casting coup in today’s time and the filmmaker agrees it couldn’t have been possible in the actors of today’s generation. “Yes, that is true. I have worked with Akshay and Govinda, Ajay Devgn and Akshaye Khanna, but there were never any issues because there were no ego problems between them. They both knew that they have a lead role and they have enough meat for themselves. But the new generation is very insecure. They always want to know what the other person is doing. They don't want to know what they are doing,” he says.
Haiwaan marks Priyadarshan and Akshay’s ninth film together. Ask him about how their equation has evolved over the course of these films, and the filmmaker says, “It is about our trust in each other. He never questions me. He will just come to the shot and ask what you want me to do and just do it. I am also very careful about what I am doing with him. I think this is what has worked for both of us. He has got a blind belief in me, and it gives me the responsibility that I should not let him down.”
The film also becomes poignant for Priyadarshan to break an image as his name has become synonymous to the comedy genre. “I started my career with serious films like Viraasat (1997), after Hera Pheri (2000), this comedy brand came on my head. But at the same time, fortunately, I have been making serious movies too in the South. Something unusual is always attractive, so I thought, this time let me try something different. Haiwaan is not a dark film and there's enough for you to laugh in between too. But it is a very emotional film. I always prefer films for family, so a family can watch Haiwaan together too,” he ends.
