Mr. India director Shekhar Kapur reveals Anil Kapoor was scared while filming the masterpiece: ‘Woh darta bohot hai’
Mr India was a milestone in the history of Indian cinema. But lead star Anil Kapoor was not too sure it would fare well while shooting. Here’s why
We all can agree that Mr India is a cult favourite film. The dialogues are still fresh in our minds and till date there are many who wish they could get their hands on the watch which worked as a cloaking device. It was also one of Anil Kapoor and Sridevi’s finest performances, with their electric chemistry stealing the spotlight. All in all, Mr India was a milestone in the history of Indian cinema thanks to the plot which was ahead of its time, the stellar star cast, ace director and even the spectacular business it did. But did you know Anil and his producer brother Boney Kapoor were not sure if Mr India would fare well?
The superhero genre was not explored much back then and the two were apparently skeptical. Revealing the same in a chat with Ranveer Allahbadia, director Shekhar Kapur shared, “Anil Kapoor was scared the day the film began and also when it released. Woh darta bohot hai. Boney Kapoor and him were very scared, would wonder whether the film would work. ‘Humara saara paisa laga hua hai, puri family ka, khatam ho jayega.’ So that fear was there. There was no certainty if it would work.”
The filmmaker further shared his process of filmmaking, where he would have conversations with his 11 year old self to see if the film would work for children of that age group. In fact, he admitted that he had imagined himself as almost every character in his film, including Sridevi’s Hawa Hawai, Amrish Puri as the iconic Mogambo and even Mr India. With so much effort, passion and hard work, how could Mr India fail?
Over the years, Anil Kapoor and Sridevi went on to portray many other award winning characters. But till date, Mr India and Hawa Hawai continue to be their most iconic roles. If the film was remade today, who do you think could do justice to these beloved characters?