Not working with stars was my helplessness: Aanand

Filmmaker Aanand L Rai says when he started out in the industry it was not possible for him to get big stars on board and now it has become his habit not to cast them in his films.

The director made his debut with Strangers in 2007 followed by. But it was only after the success of Tanu Weds Manu in 2011 that the 44-year-old filmmaker got recognition.

“Not working with big stars was my helplessness earlier and now it has become my habit. It has always been a priority to be able to tell the story with all my honesty and I cast my actors according to that,” said Aanand.

“I have always followed that and the reason for casting R Madhavan was same. I didn’t even have the signing amount so I withdrew from my bank account and gave the sum to Madhavan.

Even for Kangana we had a lot less money but we still approached her and thankfully she said yes. The film took three years to make but we had a lot of fun.” Aanand said after Tanu Weds Manu, the studios started taking him seriously but even then he chose to stay on his path of filmmaking and decided to make Raanjhanaa instead of some potboiler. “I had decided that I would do what my heart wants. And that’s why I then decided to make Raanjhanaa as I wanted to delve into the genre of a tragedy,” he said.

Talking about his next project, the director said it is about a boy from Meerut and a girl from Delhi who is a dentist. “I find stories in small cities and create characters that more common and can connect well with the audience.