'Amitabh Bachchan, Kamal Haasan are malleable': Nag Ashwin on Kalki 2898 AD
Director Nag Ashwin, just 38 years old, faced the daunting task of directing legends like Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan on the sets of Kalki 2898 AD.
Updated : June 15, 2024 03:51 PM ISTDirector Nag Ashwin, just 38 years old, faced the daunting task of directing legends like Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan on the sets of Kalki 2898 AD.
Kalki 2898 AD
Filmmaker Nag Ashwin pulled off a casting coup for his upcoming movie, Kalki 2898 AD, by bringing together some of the biggest icons of Indian cinema to play the principal characters in his sci-fi epic, which is one of the most expensive films ever made in the country.
Nag Ashwin, just 38 years old, faced the daunting task of directing legends like Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan. He recalled feeling out of place when he realized the full gravity of giving directions to Amitabh Bachchan.
"I always found it silly trying to tell them (Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal) about acting or performance. We started our journey with Bachchan sir in this film. The very first day of the shoot was with him. I think it had been about 2 or 3 years since I last shot a film. The first person I had to direct (after the long break) was B. What am I gonna say to him?" Nag Ashwin recalled in an interview with Film Companion.
However, directing these movie icons wasn't as difficult as Nag Ashwin thought, as both were eager to follow his directions and help him achieve his creative vision.
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"What I realized later is that they all wanted to be part of the process. They want to be directed. They don't want to think that they know what they are doing. The bigger they are, especially Kamal sir and Bachchan sir, they are open to being malleable. They don't want to do what they have done before. They are like, 'don't make me do Mr. B or Mr. Kamal. I don't want to do that'," he added.
Inspired by Indian mythological stories, Kalki 2898 AD is a sci-fi drama that has reportedly cost more than Rs 600 crore to produce. The film also stars Prabhas and Deepika Padukone in the lead roles and is due in cinemas on June 27.