Arbaaz Khan on not acting opposite Raveena Tandon in 'Patna Shuklla': 'Don't want to miss out on right casting'

Arbaaz Khan and Raveena Tandon. Pics/Yogen Shah

Arbaaz Khan opened up about the reason that made him remain stuck to the role of a producer for his upcoming film 'Patna Shuklla' rather than donning an acting hat opposite Raveena Tandon.

Directed by Vivek Budakoti, 'Patna Shuklla' dives into the education scam of roll numbers that affects the lives of thousands of earnest students in India.

In conversation with ANI, Arbaaz revealed a reason why he didn't keep himself on the casting wish list for this film.

He said, "Why I never considered myself because firstly I didn't think that I was at that point I am the apt choice for it. Like in a wish list there is a priority that if everyone refused because of any reason, dates or they didn't understand the role then I always had that option as a producer that I fit that scenario where, I could appear from the same era. But I didn't want to distract myself from the fact that I was concentrating more on casting right and giving my time and energy to the film and not getting distracted by playing a role in it."

Arbaaz added, "Earlier, in the film 'Dolly Ki Doli', there was one heroine and three heroes. I could have very well cast myself in any one of those roles as I was producing the film. But I didn't think that I was suited even for any of those roles. The kind of characters that had been developed, I felt they were better actors at that point in time who would do justice to that role."

He continued, "So I'm very fair and just when it comes to films that I produce because I don't want to miss out on the right casting. So even if there's a friend of mine, I won't cast him because I don't think that I'm doing justice to him or to me. So this whole thing about, I am very particular about who's the right technician, who's the right cast for the film. It's a film, it will go into the archives. And as we say, 'hum rahe na rahe humari films humare bad bhi rahengee'. Do films that will do justice to the work that you have done."

Raveena Tandon will be seen in a lawyer avatar in 'Patna Shuklla', which also stars late actor Satish Kaushik and Manav Vij.

On casting Manav Vij for the role, Arbaaz said, "I look at an apt cast for the role. When I was working with Manav Vij in 'Tanav' at that time script of this film came to me. I never gave it a thought of playing a role of a husband opposite Raveena. I was always thinking who would be a good choice for it, who would be a good choice for it. Though Manav plays very powerful roles and aggressive roles and action-oriented roles, I used to spend a lot of time with him in the evening and I saw a very vulnerable and a very nice human being in that. And I said to him, if you play this real-life character of yours on my screen, then this is the character I'm looking for in a film. And he was a little sceptical. He said, seriously. I asked him to read the script and told him that you're going to be my first choice. So he read the script and we discussed it and then finally he came on board. "

'Patna Shuklla' will stream on an OTT platform starting March 29.

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