EXCLUSIVE! Laxman Utekar: Working With Vicky Kaushal Is Like A Dream; Sara Ali Khan Is A Director's Actor

After working as a cinematographer on films like English Vinglish, Dear Zindagi and Hindi Medium, Laxman Utekar made his directorial debut in Hindi cinema with Kartik Aaryan-Kriti Sanon's romantic comedy Luka Chuppi. He followed it up with the acclaimed surrogacy drama Mimi featuring Kriti Sanon in the lead role.

Laxman Utekar's third directorial venture is all set to bring together the talented Vicky Kaushal and the vivacious Sara Ali Khan together for the first time on the big screen. Earlier this year, the team wrapped up the shooting of this yet-to-be-titled film in Indore, Madhya Pradesh.

Filmibeat recently caught up with director Laxman Utekar for an exclusive tête-à-tête where he shared some interesting insights on this Vicky-Sara starrer.

When we asked him how he came up with this fresh pairing, the filmmaker shared, "If you have seen my films, you will notice that I pay attention to the smallest details. When it comes to locations, I always try to find a town which hasn't been explored before. For example, Mimi was based in Mandawa, Rajasthan whereas Luka Chuppi was set against the backdrop of Indore. I try to have a visual variation. We have shot Vicky-Sara's film in Indore. In the same way, I want the audience to witness something new in every film of mine in terms of casting."

Elaborating on it, he continued, "Like for Mimi, the first time when I told Dinesh Vijan that I want to cast Kriti Sanon and Pankaj Tripathi, he was shocked. He asked me, 'Are you sure Sir? This is something very weird.' I told him that Kriti and Pankaj would be a perfect casting for the film, and that people would love to watch them. It's a fresh casting. Again when we were ready with the script of this film, Dinesh Vijan asked me whom I wanted to cast in it. While writing the film, I already had Vicky Kaushal and Sara Ali Khan in my mind."

"Whatever work I had seen of Vicky...more than work, I see the personality first and how they will look together, I thought it would be interesting to bring Vicky and Sara together on screen. I felt that this is something fresh for the audience. That's how I always approach my films," Utekar told us.

Further, the filmmaker was all praise for his lead pair, Vicky and Sara.

He continued, "Working with these two wonderful people is like a dream. Working with Vicky Kaushal is a dream for any director. He is the only superstar-actor. He is a great performer and has his own stardom. He is a fantastic human being. It has been a fantastic experience working with Sara Ali Khan. She is a director's actor. You can mould her the way you want and she will not ask a single question. She will follow your instructions properly. She has done a fantastic job in the film."

On being asked what the audience can expect from this film, Laxman confidently quipped, "One thing is for sure that each and every person in this country is going to connect with this film. They will see themselves in it and relate to the problems that the characters go through in the movie."

Well, Laxman Utekar's revelations have definitely added more to our curiosity around this Vicky Kaushal-Sara Ali Khan film.