| After Kangna Ranaut was chosen by the Bhatts to play Parveen Babi in Awarapan (earlier titled Actress, and now retitled — for the second time — Woh Lamhe), based on the life of the late actress, the question on everybody's mind was, who will play Mahesh Bhatt?
Recently, director Mohit Suri told hitList the contenders were Emraan Hashmi and Kunal Khemu. However, on Sunday, Shiney Ahuja was finalised to play Mahesh Bhatt. Khemu too young
Says Suri, "I was contemplating between Hashmi and Khemu. However, Hashmi does not have dates for March, when I want to start. And I thought Khemu looks too young to play Bhatt saab, so I had started looking beyond these two.
A few days ago, I saw the rushes of Gangster (where Ahuja plays Abu Salem), and was pleasantly surprised to see Ahuja's work. He has done a mind-blowing job. I spoke to Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt, and they agreed to cast him."
Title change
Explaining why the film has been re-rechristened Woh Lamhe, Suri says, "When it was titled Actress, it sounded as if it will be based only on films. When it was titled Awarapan, it sounded as if it was on Babi's character. That would have been cruel, because that woman had a tragic life, for no fault of hers. Time and again, she loved and lost. So, we decided on Woh Lamhe."
Says Shiney, "It's a great opportunity and I hope to live up to it. I have not decided how I will approach the role. But I will be myself, for it's a film set in contemporary times, not a period subject, per se." Rash character
Mahesh Bhatt adds, "Shiney's role is cannibalised from my life — that part of my life when I was involved with an actress who spiralled into a madness from which she never recovered.
Shiney will inculcate traits of rashness, recklessness, starkness and provocation, adding to his charm. He is the new wonder boy on the block, and we have full faith in him.
"We required a brooding melancholic look…. In Gangster, he has an obsessive streak. In Hazaron Khwaishein Aisi, he played an obsessive lover. That did the trick," says Bhatt.
Another man in Parveen Babi's life — who she loved and lost — was actor Kabir Bedi. Yesteryear actress Mumtaz's nephew Shaad will play Bedi in Woh Lamhe. The film will roll from March 6 in a single-stretch schedule, to be followed by an outdoor in a foreign country. "We may go to Australia for that," Suri signs off.
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