Saif Ali Khan has always set a benchmark for himself by attempting different roles. Be it Ishwar of Omkara, Gutlu of Cocktail, Agent Vinod of Agent Vinod, or Sartaj of Sacred Games. The nawab, who is happy doing a movie or two a year, is here with his second movie of 2018, Baazaar. The business crime drama, which released this Friday, is Gauravv K Chawla’s debut directorial venture. The actor says he has never put in so much effort in a role as much as this.
The film also stars Chitrangada Singh, actor Vinod Mehra’s son Rohan Mehra and Radhika Apte in prominent roles. Coproducer Nikhil Advani was initially planning to direct the film, but his assistant Gauravv took over later on. Gauravv says, “I researched a lot on the subject as I had no knowledge of stock technicalities. Stock is like sports, where there is one goal. One team wins and the other loses.”
Saif, who plays Shakun Kothari, an investor, says, “The film is more about dramatisation of characters. It deals with money and what it means to different people. I loved the treatment Gauravv has given to the film.”
Chitrangada, on the other hand, essays the role of Saif’s wife. “I play Mandira. I am the only pure character in the movie. Rest all are murky, trying to play with ambition, power and greed. She is born into a rich family and money is not as important to her as her values. Nikhil wanted me to carry the character with strength because Saif’s character is strong, and I had to balance it out. It was a challenging one for me,” she adds.
Coproducer Madhu Bhojwani, who invests in stock market, got experts from Barclays, a British multinational investment bank and financial services company, for helping the team understand the technicalities. “We used to do live shooting at Motilal Oswal, Asia’s biggest trading floor, where 200 people work. Most of the shoots were done on Saturdays and Sundays and people were really helpful,” adds the director.
Saif, whose last three films Kalakaandi, Chef and Rangoon didn’t do well at the box office, is excited about Baazaar. He says he was so obsessed with his character that he would often practice his dialogues in front of his son Taimur. “I used to sing Gujarati poems to Taimur and he would wonder what I was doing. My character was always in my head. For me, it’s like having an affair.”
As far as selecting the cast was concerned, Saif was the first to come on board. “Nikhil had already approached him for the role, and I don’t think anybody could have performed it better than him. He has got that negative shade which he had brought out well in Race also. He is dedicated,” says Gauravv,l who is happy that Radhika, Rohan and Chitrangada were a part of the project. “While Chitrangada gives a depth to every role she plays, Rohan is easy to work with and great fun. He has a weird sense of humour,” he adds.
Chitrangada, who was last seen in Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster 3, says it was fun working with Saif for the first time. “I don’t have scenes with Radhika, but I appreciate the work she is doing. She has become the Netflix Queen,” she adds. Chitrangada is in discussions with directors for a Netflix series and some new films. “I am also writing a romantic comedy and I plan to act in it as well. I am also producing a biopic on a disabled swimmer. The details will be announced soon,” she says.
Saif will start shooting for Tanaaji with Ajay Devgn. “I am looking forward to it. I also have an interesting role in Navdeep Singh’s Hunter. I play a Naga Sadhu and I am growing my hair and beard for that role,” he adds.
Gauravv is also not in the mood to relax after his first one. “We are working on a few scripts. Let’s see what Nikhil has planned for me next,” he says.