Janhvi Kapoor is willing to do whatever it takes to make it work, reveals Ulajh director Sudhanshu Saria on her commitment [Exclusive]
In an exclusive interview with BollywoodLife, Ulajh director Sudhanshu Saria gets candid about Janhvi Kapoor's casting in his movie.
This week, on August 2, 2024, Ulajh, starring Janhvi Kapoor, Gulshan Devaiah, and Roshan Mathew, will hit theatres. The spy thriller unfolds in the realm of diplomacies, with the trailer promising an abundance of twists and conspiracies. Janhvi portrays Suhana Bhatia, a young IFS officer entangled in a complex web of lies and deceit. The film is directed by Sudhanshu Saria and also stars Meiyang Chang, Rajesh Tailang, Rajendra Gupta, Adil Hussain, and others.
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BollywoodLife spoke to director Sudhanshu Saria about his upcoming movie. When asked how he managed to assemble such a talented trio of Janhvi Kapoor, Gulshan Devaiah, and Roshan Mathew for Ulajh, the filmmaker responded that the ensemble's value is quite essential for his movie. Saria said, "You've never seen Meiyang Chang or Adil Hussain like this, you've never seen Rajesh Tailang, Rajendra Gupta, or others... I mean, the list just goes on. These are all phenomenal actors at the top of their game, doing some of the best work we are doing in our cinema. The idea of audiences... like scene after scene after scene after scene. As each card opens and a new face walks on screen, I was greedy for the audience to experience that and the energy it injects into the narrative."
The Ulajh director added, "So that was the thought that motivated me. Honestly, I just kept calling up people, kept sending them the script, kept begging, and this is where we ended up. I'm very, very grateful to them for saying yes. I'm very grateful to Junglee for supporting me in that casting process, because it can be onerous and expensive. Typically, films take two to three months to cast. I was at it for about eight, eight and a half months, because who played these characters, typically, is one of the biggest decisions you can make in the filmmaking process, and I wanted to make sure I got it right."
In addition, we asked Sudhanshu Saria about Janhvi Kapoor's casting as Suhana Bhatia in the movie. In one of the interviews, the filmmaker said that it was Janhvi who was keen to be a part of the project. Did he write the character with any other actress in mind? How was the experience of working with the Dhadak star? The director praised Kapoor for her passion and dedication.
About Janhvi Kapoor's casting in Ulajh, Sudhanshu Saria said, "When I was writing, I was only writing for Suhana Bhatia, and in my head, she was a very real person. I wanted to show; I did her full justice. In fact, we were so deep into that process between Parveez Shaikh, the original writer, Atika Chohan, the dialogue writer, and myself and, you know, all creative executives at the studio, that for me, she became very real. It almost became impossible to figure out who is now going to change her by becoming her. But that decision was really made easy and taken for me by Janhvi."
"Once she got wind of this project, that the script exists, that we are making it, and, you know, that we are out in the market and talking, she honestly came after us with the clarity and passion I have never seen before. Very quickly, it became clear that she not only gets the project, she's willing to do whatever it takes to make it work. That kind of advocacy, passion, and clarity from a partner is what you need when you're setting out to make a film like this. She's there in every scene of the film. It's a very, very tough part to play, and I knew we're not going to get there unless we have that kind of devotion and commitment from the person playing her. So that's it," Saria added.
Watch Ulajh stars Gulshan Devaiah and Roshan Mathew's interview
Director Sudhanshu Saria mentioned that casting Janhvi Kapoor for Ulajh became very easy. He has a specific method involving workshops, prep, look tests, trials, and chemistry reads, and Kapoor signed up for all of it. She dedicated herself entirely to Ulajh until the film was done. Saria felt that together they could craft a performance and make a film that would surprise the audience.