Neeraj Pandey on choosing two pairs of lovers for Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha, “I want the audience to focus on the storytelling”

One of the finest directors of the millennium, Neeraj Pandey, is doing a romantic story for the first time in Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha. As is his norm, his stories do not tread the beaten path, and this love story too is different—it traverses 23 years.

It was a considered decision by the filmmaker to cast two pairs for these two phases in his films—Ajay Devgn and Tabu, with the younger Shantanu Maheswari and Saiee Manjrekar portraying them at the younger age.

We asked Neeraj why he thought of two pairs of actors when the ‘done’ thing would have been to either ‘de-age’ the seniors (as has been in a few films) or show the younger artistes as aged with make-up. After all, make-up, prosthetics and VFX are all easily available at an advanced level today.

Explained the filmmaker, “We have done all that in M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story and in my series, Special Ops, where Kay Kay Menon went through what we call de-aging. But this time I did not want any distraction whatsoever from the content. The difference in time was 22 to 23 years, and I want the audience to focus on the storytelling, not on the shots and other such aspects. I did not want to waste their time in noticing the wigs, make-up or whatever. I want the audience to fall in love with both of them!”

He admitted with a smile, “So yes, I did face a lot of resistance there! But to me, de-aging just did not make sense here. This is not about a flashback, and until it is believable, you won’t buy it.”

Did he hunt for the younger pair of actors after his lead pair was signed? “Absolutely!” he nods. “It was only when Ajay and Tabu had accepted the roles that I began hunting for the young pair. The two stars are my film’s selling-points, so the youngsters had to have a believable passing resemblance to them. And that is what I looked for in the auditions, though the primary requirement was the acting skill set.”

He beamed and said, “The shortlisted names were all very talented, but Shantanu and Saiee had that extra something that made the crucial difference!”

Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha is set to release on August 2 and is produced by Shital Bhatia, Narendra Hirawat, Kumar Mangat Pathak and Sangeeta Ahir. Jimmy Sheirgill plays a key role and has music by Oscar-winner M.M. Kreem.

Also Read: Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha makers unveil new song ‘Tuu’ which is a short film on love itself