Priyadarshan, whose last Hindi release Hungama 2 came out in 2021, is reuniting with Akshay Kumar after 16 years in the upcoming film Bhooth Bangla. The filmmaker, who is largely known among Hindi film-goers for his comedies, also worked with Shah Rukh Khan in the 2009 comedy-drama Billu. In a recent interview, the filmmaker spoke about his observations of the King actor, and why he thinks Shah Rukh Khan cannot play a villager.
Speaking with India Today, Priyadarshan said, “I remember I took SRK to a very remote village, a deep village in the South. So, he asked me, ‘How did you find this place?’” He then told me, ‘I can never relate to a village because I always grew up in Delhi,’ Shah Rukh can never act as a villager, because his body language is very polished, very urban. Many actors have a little more stylish way of carrying themselves.”
In contrast, the filmmaker spoke about how someone like Akshay Kumar is much more suitable to play a common man's role. “Akshay can look like a common man. His body language, the way he walks, especially when I did Khatta Meetha -- I really thought that he looks like a road contractor who is struggling,” he said.
In Billu, which starred the late Irrfan in the titular role, Shah Rukh played the role of a big film star who visits his village after many years for a shoot schedule, and accidentally ends up reconciling with his childhood friend in the process. Besides acting in the film, Shah Rukh also produced it under Red Chillies Entertainment. The comedy-drama wasn’t a box office success however, and remains the only collaboration between Shah Rukh and Priyadarshan.
Meanwhile, Bhooth Bangla, jointly produced by Balaji Motion Pictures and Akshay Kumar’s Cape of Good Films, will now arrive in theatres on April 17, with special premiere shows planned for April 16.
