Atul Agnihotri moves from 'Bodyguard' to Rajinikanth

Mumbai, Sep 7 After striking gold with 'Bodyguard', starring brother-in-law Salman Khan and Kareena Kapoor, actor-turned-producer Atul Agnihotri is now working on a biopic on southern superstar Rajinikanth.

'There is a huge responsibility involved in making a film on Rajinikanth. We need his approval and contribution. Making a film on him will be an enriching experience for us. Certain commerce is involved in filmmaking; so we are working out the logistics,' Agnihotri told IANS in an interview.

The idea to make a Rajinikanth biopic came from Agnihotri's friend, ad filmmaker Lloyd Ba Pista, who will direct the film.

'That's not entirely my idea. I am assisting and helping out a friend of mine. His name is Lloyd. He came up with the idea. He perused it; he followed up. He found the concept to be interesting,' said the filmmaker, who is married to Salman's sister Alvira Khan.

'Rajinikanth is an icon. When I read books on him, I was very impressed...it has the beauty of the pursuit of happiness. From the production angle, I thought it would be a great project to work together on.

'The environment is different and so is the story and its approach. As it's a biopic, so the take is different. We have to make it entertaining without losing the honesty of the story,' said Agnihotri.

The 41-year-old entered showbiz as an actor but couldn't make it big despite working in films like 'Sir', 'Krantiveer' and 'Hum Tumhare Hain Sanam'.

In 2004, Agnihotri turned director with 'Dil Ne Jise Apna Kaha' and roped in Salman along with Preity Zinta and Bhumika Chawla for the film. But it didn't do much to boost his career.

Undeterred, he decided to turn producer with 'Hello', which was based on Chetan Bhagat's bestseller 'One Night @ the Call Center'. For this, he roped in his other brother-in-law Sohail as the lead character and Salman made a guest appearance. This, too, didn't enjoy a good run at the box office.

The change in fortune came with his second production venture 'Bodyguard'. This film has already grossed about Rs.83.50 crore in the last weekend. He is hoping to take the success forward with the Rajinikanth biopic.

'After a long time we have got success and opportunity; so we would like to make the most of it,' said Atul, who co-produced 'Bodyguard' with Reliance Entertainment.

Will Salman play Rajinikanth in the biopic?

'We don't know. We are working out and it would be great if he (Salman) becomes part of it in any which way. Let's see, Lloyd is still working on the script and going back and forth. He is consulting people. Let him revert back to me; then we will take it forward,' said Agnihotri.

(Dibyojyoti Baksi can be contacted at [email protected])