Manju Warrier, Nayanthara were considered for 'Sacred Games', says Anurag Kashyap

Mumbai: Director Anurag Kashyap says he had initially reached out to Malayalam star Manju Warrier, known for films such as Rani Padmini, Ennum Eppozhum, and Odiyan, to play the role of RAW agent Kusum Devi Yadav in Netflix's Sacred Games.

The filmmaker, who serves as Hindi version presenter of Warrier's 2024 Malayalam movie Footage, said he also suggested Tamil star Nayanthara's name to the streamer for the two-part web series.

Eventually, Amruta Subhash essayed the role in the second season of Sacred Games, which premiered in 2019.

"We were trying to get her (Warrier) for Amrita Subhash's role... Different language actor... We were auditioning for Sacred Games. We gave them (Netflix) 3 options. We gave them an option of her, Nayanthara and one more person," Kashyap told reporters during a roundtable interview here.

"At that time Netflix didn't have an India office. So, everything was going to the US. And at that time OTT was not really looking at South films. They were not looking at the South market. They wanted an actress to be picked up from where their market is. It was limited to Maharashtra or anywhere. Their choices are always based on algorithms where they are getting subscribers," he added.

An avid admirer of Malayalam cinema, Kashyap said Warrier approached him for his feedback on Footage as she was planning to release the film in the Hindi market.

"Manju and I, we go (way) back... We first met in 2011-2013... We have common friends between us, Geetu Mohandas and Rajeev Ravi (couple, 'Moothon' director and cinematographer, respectively). And we (Warrier and Kashyap) share the same birthday."

Directed by first-time filmmaker Saiju Sreedharan, who has worked as an editor on the National Award-winning film Maheshinte Prathikaaram and Kumbalangi Nights and Anweshippin Kandethum, Footage is a story of Vishak and Gayatri, a couple known for their captivating YouTube vlogs exploring peculiar mysteries.

"Trapped indoors during the Covid-19 pandemic, they become intrigued by the story of their maid's mute employer who resides in the same complex," reads the synopsis.

Kashyap, who has acted in Tamil titles Maharaja, Imaikkaa Nodigal and Malayalam film Rifle Club, said he prefers watching south films with subtitles because "dubs are very bad".

"With this ('Footage') also I reached out to a (dubbing) agency. I said, ‘You know what? Treat it like a Hindi film’. It should not look like a Malayalam film being dubbed in Hindi. We took the same post production process. Treat it like a Hindi film.

"But professionals do not treat it like a dubbed film. That is why we took time. You have to give them respect. They dub so badly. The reason I can't see 'Maharaja' is because it's so (bad)’” he added.

The filmmaker, who recently said that he is moving to the South from Mumbai, said unnecessary crowding outside his home by unknown people prompted him to take the decision.

"I want to read. My daughter’s got married. I want to spend more time on myself. Have you seen it? The difference in two months. My health has become so much better. Everybody knows my house. People just walk in. There used to be a line of people...

"Everybody wants to tell everybody else that 'this is his house'. My house is full of cameras... It's just difficult. I have made it a fortress now. You can't even ring the doorbell. There is no doorbell," he said.

Kashyap, known for directing films such as Black Friday, Gangs of Wasseypur, Ugly, and Mukkabaaz, also said he is wary of "wealthy cinephiles".

"I am very scared of them. I had a lot of wealthy cinephiles (around me). They are living in their own fantasy because they inherited (wealth). They want to make their own version of the film and at one point, they don't know how to engage because they're not part of cinema. Then they use money to control. Then things become ugly. It has happened many times," he said, citing the example of the Emraan Hashmi-starrer Tiger.

The filmmaker is happy that Kennedy, starring Rahul Bhat and Sunny Leone, which was ready to be released will come out this year.

Footage is produced by Movie Bucket. The film's Hindi version, with Cinepolis as the release partner, will be distributed by the boutique production and distribution company Flip Films. It also stars Emergency actor Vishak Nair and Gayathri Ashok of Star fame.