Chandan Arora on casting Rajpal Yadav as lead in Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon: 'Audience connect…'
When asked about his thought process behind casting Rajpal Yadav in the lead during an era dominated by typical leading men, Chandan replied,'To be very honest, when I got a call from Ram Gopal Varma asking, 'Would you direct a film with Antara Mali and Rajpal Yadav?' I actually thought it was a hypothetical question—like, would you direct a film like that? He would do that. I said, 'Of course I would,' and then he told me to come to the office the next day and gave me a 13-page draft. He said, 'Read this and tell me what you think about it.' And so, I think I can take no credit at all for that bold move because it was all RGV. He was full of bold moves in those years. I mean, he was taking fantastic risks and exploring the kind of storytelling he wanted to be known for.'
The Kankhajura director added,'But immediately after that, after the response Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon got—especially Rajpal's character—I had to come to a conclusion myself that I truly believe people are interested in watching performers on screen. They can connect with a good performer, and they can connect with anyone—whether it is Rajpal Yadav or Shah Rukh Khan. I saw that with the film. But because the title Main Madhuri Dixit Banna Chahti Hoon had a commercial angle to it, I personally had to do another film with Rajpal where he was the lead, without backing off any commercial trope like Madhuri Dixit or the support of someone like RGV.'
He concluded, 'I had a feeling that people wanted to watch great performers and they will applaud anyone who is a great performer and connects with them. And that's why we did Main, Meri Patni Aur Woh, and the success of it speaks for itself. The movie still resonates. So that sort of tells you how our audiences can surprise you anytime.'
Apart from being a director, Chandan has also worked as an editor for various notable films including Cheeni Kum, Krrish 3, Ki & Ka, Pad Man, Mission Mangal, Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui, Ved, among others.
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