Kakuda OTT Release EXCLUSIVE! Munjya Director Aditya Sarpotdar Reveals If Sonakshi Sinha Was 'First Choice'

Kakuda OTT release date: Aditya Sarpotdar is on cloud nine as his two recent projects have become the talk of the town. While Munjya smashed all the box office records and emerged as a massive hit, Kakuda is grabbing several eyeballs on ZEE5.

At Filmibeat, we love interacting with actors, directors, artists, musicians who have contributed to Indian cinema. When we got an opportunity to the 'man of the hour', Aditya Sarpotdar, we had a detailed exclusive conversation with the talented director.

From revealing that he started work on Kakuda during the second wave of COVID-19 in 2021 to sharing an interesting anectode about the casting, Aditya spilled the beans on different aspects related to Kakuda.

Here are excerpts from the interview.

Q- You have a huge star cast - Sonakshi Sinha, Riteish Deshmukh, and Saqib Saleem. Were they your first choice?

I began making Kakuda during the second pandemic in 2021. From the start, it was always intended to be released on an OTT platform. Given the nature of OTT, it was clear that the visuals will be presented in a storytelling format. I believe that whether the platform is OTT, a theater, or even TV, the way a story is told is crucial because each platform has its own style of storytelling. When it came to casting for a film destined for OTT, I had some clear choices. I had worked with Riteish before, both as a producer and as an actor. He is a good friend of mine and has impeccable comic timing. He's a great actor, and because of our excellent working relationship, I definitely wanted him for this character. For Saqib, we held auditions, and he surprised us. I had seen him in a few films before and recognized his great potential. He has a very good screen presence, is a good actor, and has been acclaimed as both an actor and a star. His involvement brought a certain significance to the film in the market. As for the female lead, her role is unique and very interesting. We didn't reveal all aspects of her character in the trailer, and I was sure people would be surprised when they saw Sonakshi in the film.

Q- What made you choose these actors for their respective roles, and how did you guide them to bring their characters to life?

To prepare the actors for their roles, it was essential to get the language right because it's a very specific dialect that bridges Hindi, making the dialogue feel authentic to the world we're creating. The language, costumes, and overall look were crucial for this authenticity. We worked extensively with the actors to develop their characters, spending a lot of time in the local areas where the story is set. We arrived well before the shoot to acclimatize and understand the environment, interacting with the locals to gain insights into their world. My dialogue writer, who is also a talented actor, played a significant role in helping the actors master the language and develop their characters. Despite the instinctive nature of a horror comedy, the director and actors supported my vision, following my instructions to build the fantastical world we aimed to create. Much of this world-building came together in post-production, and the actors understood and followed my cues on set accordingly.

Kakuda is available for streaming on ZEE5. Viewers can even download the film in full HD format if they have a paid subscription for the OTT platform.