Did you know Hansal Mehta was going to make ‘Sarbjit’ starring Kangana?

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Randeep Hooda’s film ‘Sarbjit’, which was directed by Omung Kumar was based on the life of Sarabjit Singh, an Indian trapped in a prison in Pakistan. The movie won accolades from all corners, upon its release. But did you know that the initial film on this subject was supposed to be made by Hansal Mehta and he wanted to cast Kangana Ranaut in the film?

When we met him for an interview promoting his upcoming film ‘Simran’, he said that he had been wanting to work with Kangana for a very long time. It was after Kangana’s ‘Fashion’ that the ace filmmaker decided to work with the actress. But for some reason they could not collaborate. Before ‘Simran’, Hansal Mehta had conceptualised two films keeping Kangana in mind. When asked what kind of films were they, he stated, “One was a human interest story, two were biopics. I was supposed to make ‘Sarabjit’ with Kangana but it didn’t happen. I went abroad and things changed overnight with somebody else directing it. I was out of the project. It is a good thing that we collaborated on ‘Simran’ because it is a very engaging and entertaining story. As a director, you have to move away from your own cocoon.”

When asked why he chose Kangana for ‘Simran’, he stated, “Without her this film wouldn’t have possible. I wouldn’t have made it with anybody else. I wanted to work with her since I saw her in ‘Fashion’. Among that generation if there is a true actor, I have been spoilt by working with stars like Rajkummar Rao, Manoj Bajpai and others. So if I have to work with somebody, it has to be somebody with that caliber. So here’s that actor with that caliber and also has an X-Factor.”

‘Simran’ is slated to release on September 15. (Also Read: Hansal Mehta on Kangana Ranaut: I commend her for baring her soul)

Nikita Thakkar

A strongly opinionated, free-spirited, budding Bollywood journalist, she likes to write anything in her own quirky style. When not running around to get assigned tasks completed, you will find her either painting, indulging in photography or dreaming in the la la land.