Mumbai: Filmmaker Tigmanshu Dhulia is bringing back 'Aashiqui 2' stars Aditya Roy Kapur and Shraddha Kapoor on-screen for his much-ambitious love story 'Milan Talkies'. The two were finalised for the film after a string of actors including Shahid Kapoor, Imran Khan and Sonakshi Sinha opted out of the Balaji Motion Pictures-produced project.
"Aditya and Shraddha have been finalised for the film and we are yet to begin the shooting. I had Shraddha in my mind before 'Aashiqui 2' happened. She came for the auditions two years ago. She was the first choice for the film.
"As far as the male lead is concerned these actors (Shahid and Imran) did not have dates, so they opted out of the film before signing the contract. Aditya and Shraddha are perfect for the film," Tigmanshu told PTI in an interview.
With the film, the 'Bullett Raja' director, who is known for 'Haasil', 'Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster' and 'Pan Singh Tomar', will venture into the complexities of a small town romance for the first time. The project was earlier scheduled to release this year but it got delayed and is expected to hit theatres by 2015 end now.
"When you are making something ambitious and out-of-the box you need time. Even K Asif took 15 years to make 'Mughal-e-Azam'. It's a love story set in small city and narrates the difficulties of falling in love despite so many mediums of communication," the director said.
Tigmanshu is also teaming up with media mogul Ekta Kapoor for the film and the director says she is a "good producer" to work with. "Ektaji is a good and one of the successful producers. As a producer all of her films were successful. She has a brilliant sense of marketing and publicity. She gives enough space to a director," he said.
The 47-year-old filmmaker would be seen in this week's Pepsi MTV Indies' chat show 'The Ride'. On the show, Tigmanshu will share anecdotes about his life and film career. "This is the first time I will be participating in a chat show. It's a youth based channel and I believe in new generation," he said.
Tigmanshu is currently shooting his multi-starrer friendship drama 'Yaara'. The film is an official remake of the 2011 French film 'Les Lyonnais'. It stars young actors Amit Sadh, Vidyut Jamwal and Shruti Haasan. The director cleared that Irrfan Khan is not the part of the film.
"I have finished first schedule of shooting and second schedule is starting from October. The film doesn't star Irrfan and it is a story of friends," he said.
