Director Omung Kumar says Aishwarya Rai Bachchan agreed to star in his film Sarbjit almost immediately after he presented the role to her.
The film is based on Sarabjit Singh, an Indian national who was jailed in Pakistan over spying charges.
Rai Bachchan plays the role of his sister, Dalbir Kaur, while Randeep Hooda plays the title character.
“It just took 15 minutes for Aishwarya to say yes to the film. I [have known] her for a long time, since her Miss India days, and we have been friends. But I wanted to go to her with a solid role. She saw the full research I had done, I narrated one scene because I didn’t have a script then, and she was on board,” he said.
Kumar says he wanted to cast an actress who could pull off playing the younger and older versions of her character.
“There are a very few actors who are in the middle range [in age] and mature enough to play a 22-year-old and a 60-year-old also. Young actors can be aged but it looks fake. I wanted that middle person,” Kumar said.
“Nobody would think of Aishwarya in this role at all. Because people might say, ‘from which angle she looks like Dalbir?’. I made Dalbir my way. All the mannerisms of Dalbir are there, the walk, the talk, but looks-wise I’ve made Aishwarya not look like Aishwarya,” the director added.
This will be the second biopic Kumar has made after his National Film Award-winning Mary Kom.
Kumar praised Rai Bachchan’s professionalism.
“When she is on set, she won’t move from one place. If lighting is required, she will herself stand there. If it is a shot change, for continuity she would retain her position for as long as one hour so that nothing should change in her style,” he said.
The film is scheduled to release in the UAE on May 19.
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