Rajkumar Santoshi accuses Karan Johar of playing ‘tricks’ over Kesari; says, “They knew that they would make a film quickly and release it, so our business would not work”
Filmmaker Rajkumar Santoshi has spoken about his shelved film based on the Battle of Saragarhi and alleged that Karan Johar and Akshay Kumar’s Kesari affected the prospects of his project. Santoshi claimed that his film, which featured Randeep Hooda in the lead, was already being made when Kesari was announced and eventually released on the same historical subject.
Talking about his vision for the project, Santoshi said he wanted to make an authentic and realistic film. “We wanted to make an honest and real film. We had an audition, real Sardars. The people who had not touched the blood had auditioned them. We had them ready. We had a shoot in the 20 days, in Ganga Nagar, in Rajasthan.”
Santoshi also praised Randeep Hooda for his dedication to the role and his transformation for the film. He said, “Randeep Hooda is a great actor, a great man. He had completely become a Sardar after growing a beard.”
The filmmaker then addressed the making of Kesari, which starred Akshay Kumar and was produced by Karan Johar. Santoshi said he felt the makers should have approached him before making a film on the same subject, especially since his project was already in production.
He said, “In the industry, they have made Kesari. Karan Johar and Akshay Kumar made it. At least, they should have asked us. The industry is one family.”
Santoshi further claimed that the release of Kesari affected his film’s prospects with OTT and satellite platforms. According to him, people from these platforms who had been discussing his project backed out because they preferred to work with a major producer and a major star.
He explained, “When they made Kesari, the OTT and satellite and digital people, whom we were talking to, backed out. Because Akshay Kumar is a very big star and Karan Johar is a very big producer. They knew that they would make a film quickly and release it, so our business would not work.”
Santoshi alleged that this eventually left his project stuck despite having already completed 20 days of shooting. “So, my picture, it got stuck. After 20 days of shooting, the picture was shut down,” he said.
His remarks shed light on the challenges faced by filmmakers when two projects based on the same historical event are developed simultaneously, particularly when one involves a major Bollywood star and a leading production house.
The post Rajkumar Santoshi accuses Karan Johar of playing ‘tricks’ over Kesari; says, “They knew that they would make a film quickly and release it, so our business would not work” appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.