Bollywood filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra says he cast newcomers Harshvardhan Kapoor and Saiyami Kher in Mirziya because the story required fresh faces.
“The film required fresh faces and could not have been made with established actors,” said Mehra.
Mehra, Kapoor and Kher were in Vadodara, Gujarat to promote the film, which will release in UAE theatres on October 6.
“I did not want to take known actors because they come with a certain baggage and the audience is familiar with them. The film is a fresh take on this legendary love story, so it needed young, fresh faces,” said Mehra.
The film, inspired by a folk story about stracrossed lovers Mirza and Sahiban, is written by Gulzar.
Even though Mehra has not made a romantic film before, the director is confident.
“Mirzya is not a risk. I don’t see my films like that. I tell stories I want to and I believed in this story,” he said.
Kapoor said he was “blown away” by the script. “I realised that I was getting a chance to be a part of something so poetic and beautiful, and it suits my personality. It’s very rare to find scripts that are poetic and very romantic.
“I have given so much to this film that a part of me will die when it’s out,” he said.
“Acting was never a part of the plan,” says Saiyami Kher, who also makes her debut with the film.
“It has been tough. I used to stand in long queues to give auditions. Even in my modelling years I had to face rejection many times. But such experiences help you grow,” she said.
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