‘Ajay Devgn obvious choice for Drishyam’

The director said Devgn was the first actor whose name cropped up in his mind when he decided to make the film, which is a remake of a Malayalam movie of the same name.

“I needed a star who was in his <g data-gr-id="44">mid '40s</g> and half of them were out (of the race), including the younger stars. Secondly, I needed someone with very intense eyes and Ajay fit the bill completely. 

He was the obvious choice for me. He readily agreed to do the film which was very important,” said Kamat to a media person.

In the Goa-set murder mystery, Devgn, 46, plays a family man and is pitted against Tabu, who will be seen essaying the role of a cop in search of her son, presumably killed by the former.

“I cast Tabu as I wanted someone, who is a mother at heart and a very strong <g data-gr-id="35">cop</g>. Someone, who is both vulnerable and strict. Tabu was my first and last choice,” the director said. Kamat, who has earlier directed Bollywood films like Mumbai Meri Jaan and Force, said he decided to remake a successful Malayalam film like <g data-gr-id="39">Drishyam</g> because he wanted a pan-India audience for such a fantastic story.

“When I watched the original film, I felt it was a fantastic screenplay. But since it was made in Malayalam it was meant for only one state. I felt it should reach a wider audience.” 

The filmmaker said remaking a suspense thriller may sound <g data-gr-id="31">tricky</g> but he faced no such problem as he has tried to be true to the original movie and changed only 40 per cent of the script.