farFarhan Akhtar: went through intense training to prepare for his role of an ATS officer Danish Ali in upcoming film ‘Wazir’ where the actor will be seen sharing screen space with Amitabh Bachchan.
Produced by Vidhu Vinod Chopra and Rajkumar Hirani, the film is directed by Bejoy Nambiar from a script by Chopra and Abhijat Joshi.
“Vidhu Vinod Chopra approached me for the role. He was very keen that I do the role of Danish Ali in the film. I met Abhijat and I found the story quite compelling.
“My character is a hard-boiled law enforcement officer. He is someone who deals with violence on a daily basis. It is a world I am not familiar with, so it took some amount of research and training,” Farhan, who turned 41 today, told PTI in an interview.
Farhan, who directed Bachchan 10 years ago in ‘Lakshya’, said working with the megastar, who is seen as a wheelchair-bound chess player in the trailer, was a great experience.
“You get to learn so much by just being with him (Bachchan). The film is predominantly about these two characters, so we have a lot of scenes together. We both are bound by a bond in the film and find redemption in each other. The story is well-written and also has action and romance. It is a complete film and we enjoyed telling this story,” Farhan said.
The actor began his journey almost 15 years ago as a director with ‘Dil Chahta Hai’, a film that set trends for its youthful, contemporary look. Farhan feels the film helped him build a successful career.
“When I started the film, it was not that I wanted to change something or set any trend. I just wanted to tell this story which was very close to my heart. But yes it was a great start for me,” he said.
Farhan, who has also found success as a singer, director and producer, has his hands full this year with the release of ‘Wazir’ and ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’, a multi-starrer directed by sister Zoya and produced by his Excel Entertainment. He is also co-producing Shah Rukh Khan-starrer ‘Raees’.
The actor denied that ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’, about a dysfunctional family, had anything to do with his real-life bond with Zoya.
“Not really, our relationship has no bearing on the story though it is about a dysfunctional family. Reema Kagti writes stories that are fresh and interesting.”
‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ will mark Farhan and Zoya’s third collaboration after ‘Luck By Chance’ and ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’.
PTI
