MUMBAI: Debutant director Behzad Khambata says actor Sunny Deol was his first and only choice for action-thriller "Blank".
Behzad says directing Sunny in his first film was a dream come true moment for him but he was never sure that the veteran actor would say yes to it. "While we started writing the story and the moment we were building the character of ATS chief we felt someone like Sunny Deol only could have done it. But we did not expect he will be part of the film," Behzad told PTI.
It was through director Anthony D'Souza of "Azhar" fame that Behzad got to meet and narrate the story of "Blank" to Deol. "Tony sir had already discussed the idea of the film with him (Deol) and he had liked it. So there was less convincing. But I was scared to meet Sunny sir initially. He is my idol. So to have him as my first hero was a dream come true."
"Blank" follows the story of a suicide bomber (Karan Kapadia), who loses his memory and has a bomb attached to his heart. It is up to the police officers to prevent the bomb from exploding. Sunny plays the role of an ATS Chief. "He is phenomenal in roles like these. The pitch, the body language and the expression that he gives completely goes with the personality of a cop," Behzad says, adding he even got to witness the mass fan following that Deol enjoys even today while shooting in the outskirts of Mumbai. "There is pressure to direct him. We were shooting outside Mumbai and we couldn't shoot as a lot of people had gathered to see him. One can't take away the superstardom away from him," he added.
Before making his feature directorial debut, Behzad has worked as an assistant director on films such as Akshay Kumar-starrer "Boss" and sports biopic "Azhar". "Blank", which also marks the acting debut of Dimple Kapadia's nephew, actor Karan Kapadia, will release on May 3.