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Farhan opens up about Mr Chaloo fiasco

' I know how to play chess. But Wazir is not really about the game of chess'

Farhan Akhtar talks about what went wrong in the casting of Mr Chaloo, why he likes working with his sister and sharing the screen with Amitabh Bachchan. Excerpts:

Is Reema Kagti’s new film Mr Chaloo in a bit of casting crisis?
Reema is a very strong person. She will find a solution. Every film has to go through its natural cycle of casting. I don’t think there is any director who hasn’t faced such problems. It is unfortunate that she has to go through it.

But when an actor, in Reema’s case Saif Ali Khan, says yes to the film publicly and then says no, it becomes a problem, right?
(Long pause) There is bound to be a sense of disappointment when something like this happens just when you’re ready to start your film. I also empathise with her because I’ve gone through it myself.

You worked with your sister for the third time in Dil Dhadakne Do (DDD). Did you succeed in re-inventing yourself as an actor?
Reinvention for any actor comes from playing different kinds of roles. That’s the only way. I played a completely new character in DDD. The fact that we’ve worked together in all her three films is proof that we share a very comfortable working relationship.

Tell us a bit about that...
I’d like to think she works with me not just because I am her brother, but because she truly enjoys working with me. I truly do. I admire how Reema Kagti and Zoya write films. And whether I am the producer, the dialogue writer or an actor in their films, all roles are welcome to me.

The Wazir promos show you playing chess with Amitabh Bachchan. Do you play chess in real life?
I know how to play chess. But Wazir is not really about the game of chess. Of course Mr Bachchan’s character is a master chess player in the film. But the film isn’t about the game.

When you’re working only as an actor, do you give your directorial inputs?
It would be really strange, almost bizarre if an actor didn’t give any input. Be it me, or Aamir or Priyanka — we all have a say when we are acting. Every actor brings something to the table as more than just an actor. When you are playing a character you want to make it come to life. You start feeling an emotional attachment to the character.

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( Source : deccan chronicle )
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