THE FIRST- TIMERS
As Aamir Khan prepares to work with Mahesh Mathai for the first time, we take a look at other films, which will see brand new pairings between actors and directors
Last year, Aamir Khan teamed up with director Nitesh Tiwari for the first time in the blockbuster Dangal (2016). Now, the superstar has finalised his new film — astronaut Rakesh Sharma’s biopic —directed by ad filmmaker, Mahesh Mathai.
THE LIST GOES ON
Interestingly, not just Aamir, but a number of other top male stars are also set to work with ‘new’ directors. For starters, Akshay Kumar has worked with Shree Narayan Singh in his next, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha. His next two films — Padman and Gold — will have Akshay team up with R Balki and Reema Kagti, respectively.
Salman Khan will collaborate with choreographer-director Remo D’Souza for a dance-based film. While Ranbir Kapoor has worked with Rajkumar Hirani in the Sanjay Dutt biopic, Ranveer Singh will team up with Zoya Akhtar in Gully Boyz. In his next two films — Jab Harry Met Sejal and another yet-untitled film — Shah Rukh Khan has worked with Imtiaz Ali and Aanand L Rai.
GREAT FUN
“To start with, I must say that I had great fun working with Imtiaz. He is a very nice writer and an equally good human being”, says SRK, adding that he wishes he “could do a film with Imtiaz every year”. He adds, “As a human being and a director, he is very gentle and kind. It’s very easy working with him. He also loves his actors the way Yashji (Chopra) did.”
But does it help — especially creatively — to work with new, fresh minds? “We have all come up from nothing, so giving newcomers an opportunity can only broaden horizons — not just for them, but for the industry as well. You can’t be working with the same people every year,” says Akshay, who has constantly teamed up with new directors over the past few years.
BODY OF WORK
Film-makers, too, feel that new partnerships work well for both — the e actor and the director. “If a new director works with a debutant actor, expectations aren’t that high. But if established director and actor team up, they come with their vast body of work, which will lead to something unique and magical. A case in instance being Kaabil,” says film-maker Sanjay Gupta, who teamed up with Hrithik Roshan for the first time in Kaabil.
Akshay feels that everyone — be it an actor or a director — “deserves a chance in life”. He says, “I know that better than anyone. You don’t have to be famous or very experienced to be good at something.”
Gupta, interestingly, admits that he can proudly say Hrithik and he “brought out the best in each other”. Hee adds, “I am sure the next time when we work together again, , things will be different as we have gotten to know each otherer very well.”