Shekhar Kapur speaks about Paani and SSR at DIFF

For all those wondered why Shekhar Kapur chose to replace Hrithik Roshan with a newbie like Sushant Singh Rajput in his ambitious filmPaani, hear it from the man himself. "Yes, I had planned Paani after Bandit Queen. The script has evolved over the years. But it was always about a young boy and it still is. I wanted Hrithik but now he is a man, I see him as a superhero. I can't blame him," Shekhar told Masala.com in an exclusive interview on the sidelines of the Dubai International Film Festival (DIFF).

Shekhar further added that the project had changed a little from the time he had conceived it years ago. "The design, form and fundamentals are the same. But it has become an international story from an Indian story. The relationships and concepts are the same. We have set a deadline for ourselves and hope to release it next year," he said.

However despite his disappointment at not getting Hrithik Roshan for the role, Shekhar is more than happy with his replacement Sushant Singh. "When I saw Sushant in Kai Po Che, I was really taken in by his attitude. He is perfect for the role."

Roles and movie projects aside, Shekhar seemed to have a great time as Jury Chairman at DIFF which he admitted was a challenging task. "My jury duty, especially as chairman is to ensure that members explore their own mind in the way they judge films. One has to isolate prejudice from judgment! When you have five people who come from extremely different culture, ideas and references, you realise what varied points of view people have! I learnt a lot about myself being on jury."

Read all about Shekhar's frank views on art, censorship, movies, Bollywood stars and the dynamics of Indian politics in the next issue of Masala! hitting the stands on December 19, 2013.