I usually choose heroes from among people: Iran's Majidi on not casting Deepika
Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi, who made headlines over not casting Deepika Padukone in his project Beyond The Clouds, has straightened it for everyone, one more time.
Deepika had auditioned for Beyond The Clouds, which opened the ongoing 48th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. But the director decided to go with someone who didn't carry star-wattage like Deepika's, if any at all. His decision to cast a lesser-known actress (Malavika Mohanan) over an established actor like Deepika had created a stir in the Indian media, which he explained yet again on the sidelines of IFFI.
"I usually choose heroes from among people," he said, adding that he like to work with newcomers.
"This doesn’t mean that I am not interested in professional actors. Since I was shooting in Mumbai, it became difficult to organise the sets. When we were auditioning Deepika Padukone, we had a tough time managing the crowds."
Beyond The Clouds features debutante actor Ishaan Khatter, Shahid Kapoor's younger brother. Khatter and Mohanan, who is a Malayalam actor, play siblings living in a Mumbai slum in the film. Their bond is put to a test after Tara (Mohanan) is arrested for attempted murder.