I didn’t meet Shah Rukh, but yes, Adi (producer Aditya Chopra) did
approach him. However, the script as it is today is meant for Salman.
Which other actor can you call Tiger without it sounding cheesy? It’s
about a legend, and with Salman you don’t have to spend screen time
establishing one. Katrina’s one of my closest friends and the only one
who could play Zoya in ETT, but she didn’t recommend Salman. His name
may have come up during discussions. He took an instant liking to me
when we met years ago. I’d narrated Kabul Express (2006) to him without
really intending to cast him. And when I approached Katrina for New York
(2009), she was unsure since it wasn’t a typical Yashraj film. When
Salman heard I was directing it, he told her, ‘I’ve seen Kabir’s work,
you can close your eyes and do the film’.” If you have a star and he
doesn’t bring anything to the table, it means he’s brain dead or
disinterested. Salman’s never played a character like Tiger before so
there were discussions. He had suggestions for every scene, but he
doesn’t force anything. I’ve enjoyed working with him. I wish that was
true, but it isn’t. It’s time to step out of YRF’s comfortable cocoon
and experience the big bad world. I’ll never forget that when I was
grappling with death threats from Afghanistan, Adi called to assure me
that if I was forced to leave, I could shoot Kabul Express anywhere in
the world irrespective of the cost. Thanks to him, I’ve grown as a
filmmaker despite my unconventional approach. Even if I ventured out,
I’d always return to YRF.
An action-packed love story, the first draft of which is almost
ready. Once I cast the actors, I’ll tweak it to incorporate their
traits. It’s my first script, written two years before Kabul Express,
based on something I’ve seen and heard because of which I became a
filmmaker. I needed to prove my credibility before I could get someone
to back me on such a large project. The time is right now.
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