To see Naseeruddin Shah and Pankaj Kapur share screen in IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack' was a pleasant surprise. Anubhav Sinha recently revealed how he approached the stalwarts for the show
Still from IC 814
IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack has been receiving rave reviews. The Netflix show is based on a book by Capt Devi Sharan who was in-charge of the hijacked fligght in 1999 from Kathmandu enroute Delhi. However, the flight took eight days to reach Delhi after it was hijacked by Pakistani men. While the series is being lauded for its treatment, the casting of the show is also being praised. Rajeev Thakur's role as Chief (one of the hijackers) was undoubtedly one of the most surprising casting as the actor is widely known for his comic portrayal. The show also saw several talents including Vijay Varma, Naseeruddin Shah, Pankaj Kapur, Dia Mirza, Kumud Mishra, Manoj Pahwa and others came together.
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"Casting process started right with the writing. Every time a new character of significance comes up, Trishant and I start discussing names," revealed director Anubhav Sinha at a press conference for the show on Tuesday in Mumbai. "There are some obvious names whom I call everytime I do something. So we ended up casting everyone. Vijay was the first one to be cast. Then these two characters were slowly growing. In the beginning, it didn't feel like they would become significant but after a point, we figured that these are two very significant characters. Then we started taking names. Then one day I casually thought of talking to Naseer bhai and Pankaj bhai."
Convincing Naseeruddin Shah and Pankaj Kapur:
"Toh mai pehle Naseer bha ke paas gaya aur uss din woh acche mood mai the. Toh unhonhe haan keh diya meri baat khatam hone se pehle. Mia fir bhaag gaya isse pehel ki iraada badal de (I went to Naseeruddin Shah first and he instantly said yes. His approval came even before he could hear me out completely. I chose to run away from there. Here they do not)," Sinha shared talking about connecting with Pankaj Kapur
Further sharing about approaching them on me. "Inko phone kiya, bole nahi bhai. Fir inhe script padni thi but time nahi tha. But mai chipka raha and fir unhone script padhi and said 'kya? ok karta hu.' Toh ye aise kuch hua. khel khel mai ho gaya( I called Pankaj ji. He wanted to read the script but had no time. So it all just fell into place)."
Naseeruddin and Pankaj on their equation:
"It is such a joy to work with him because he is unpredictable and you know that this person has done his preparation. I also make it a point to be completely prepared. It's great fun. It's like playing tennis where you envy his game and you also respect it at the same time," the 74-year-old actor told reporters.
Shah and Kapur, who are brothers-in-law, have acted together in many notable films of the past three decades, such as “Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro”, "Mandi", "Khamosh" and "Maqbool".
Kapur also had only sweet things to say to his brother-in-law. “Such kind words from somebody you deeply admire. When I'm working with him there's a sixth sense within me which is always ready to learn, to see what he is up to, and what new I can learn from him because that's the kind of respect and awe I hold him in. He has said such beautiful words for me and I'm going to relish that for the years that are left for me," Kapur said.
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