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Vishal Bhardwaj addresses rumour that Naseeruddin Shah refused to do Maqbool if Kamal Haasan starred in it: ‘Tum soch lo’

Vishal Bhardwaj recalled that talks with Kamal Haasan to star in Maqbool had reached advanced stages, but the duo had conflicting visions for the film, which ultimately led to them parting ways.

By: Entertainment Desk
Mumbai | Updated: October 23, 2023 07:54 AM IST

3 min read

Vishal Bhardwaj talks about Kamal Haasan. (Photo: Vishal Bhardwaj, Kamal Haasan/Instagram, Express Archives)

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Filmmaker Vishal Bhardwaj said that he came close to working with actor Kamal Haasan on his 2004 drama Maqbool, in which the superstar would have played the titular role that eventually went to the late Irrfan Khan. An adaptation of Macbeth by William Shakespeare, Maqbool also starred Naseeruddin Shah as Inspector Purohit.

In an interview with Unfiltered by Samdish, Vishal Bhardwaj opened up about almost collaborating with Kamal Haasan. Vishal had composed music for the actor’s directorial Chachi 420. “He is extremely passionate and intelligent. Iss had tak ki aapko pareshaan kar dete hai, aapko mann karta hai ki bhaag jao inke paas se because if you say something on any topic, he will know more than you. But he is a genius man to work with. Our talks had reached quite far in terms of him playing Maqbool,” the filmmaker said.

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Also Read | Naseeruddin Shah prepped for this Maqbool role, backed out three months before shoot: ‘He grew his beard, dyed his hair but then…’

When asked if it is true that Naseeruddin Shah refused to do the film if Kamal Haasan starred in it, Vishal laughed and said, “Maybe he didn’t say it in the same words. Perhaps he would have said, ‘Tum soch lo kya karna hai’. He did say this, because Naseer bhai has also worked with Kamal. It is not that they don’t get along. Kamal is a very strong personality, and he is very clear about what he wants. There is no discussion, the director has to be right.”

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Vishal recalled that while the two were in advanced stages of discussion to work on Maqbool, they had different visions for the film. “We interacted, but our conflict was the way we were seeing the film. He wanted the film to be bi-lingual, in Hindi and Tamil, which would have other star cast, it would be filmed simultaneously. I thought I was falling in the trap of business here, and back then I used to be very stubborn. I wanted my film to be made my way. Whenever (Kamal) meets me these days, he jokes, ‘When am I getting my call sheet?'” he added.

Vishal Bhardwaj recently released the Netflix film Khufiya, starring Tabu, Ali Fazal, and Wamiqa Gabbi. Before that, he also unveiled his SonyLIV series Charlie Chopra.