In an exclusive interview with MyNation, Mission Mangal's director Jagan Shakti speaks about his thoughts on casting couch, working with female cast, while revealing his next project. Is it Chandrayaan 2? Read to find out.
Recently, one of the lead actresses of Mission Mangal, Vidya Balan opened up about casting couch in the film industry, director Jagan Shakti vehemently supported her and said, "People need to raise their voice against it for self respect is extremely important.
We have heard Jagan Shakti speak about how working with Akshay Kumar is stress-free, but was it as smooth with the female cast as well with the likes of stars such as Tapsee Pannu, Vidya Balan, Nithya Menon, etc? "The myth that women can throw tantrums was broken here," said Jagan Shakti claiming that they were on fire when it came to performance, while maintaining mutual respect.
Basking in the joy of Mission Mangal's success, Jagan Shakti decided to visit Chennai for he is on a mission to work on his next project. And no, it's not Chandrayaan 2! "I am now working on the Hindi version of Tamil blockbuster Kaththi starring Vijay," he said, refusing to reveal further details. "I haven't decided on anything yet, not even the cast," he added.
Also Read: Akshay Kumar's Mission Mangal gets GST exemption in Maharashtra
The Maharashtra government recently granted exemption from the state GST to Bollywood film Mission Mangal. "All government school students and the rest will get to watch this now and I am happy with this news," he said, adding that other states must implement this. "And just like Hollywood boasts of films revolving around NASA, we are taking baby steps," he said.
Earlier, Akshay Kumar, had thanked the GST Council for exempting sanitary napkins from Goods and Services Tax (GST), when the actor was working on the film PadMan. "Akshay Kumar always takes up such hard-hitting subjects and it's such a song to work with him," said Jagan Shakti, recollecting how he met Akshay Kumar on the sets of Holiday and PadMan, when he was working as an assistant director. "I was sitting on an Akshay Kumar film and was unperturbed by the release of Batla House on the same day," he said.
Also Read: Vidya Balan shares her casting couch experience with Tamil director, read details
Jagan Shakti's sister, who is a scientist, has been his inspiration. The picture of the women scientists, who worked behind the scenes during Mangalyaan, transformed him so much so that his outlook towards his sister changed several notches. "I wonder how she is able to work on a mission and return home to cater to the family," he said.
Despite having a scientist for a sister, some criticised that the film Mission Mangal wasn't authentic enough and that the plot was exaggerated. "I didn't tinker with science, but I added commercial elements for I have thronged the theatres to watch so many films of Mohanlal, Chiranjeevi, etc. I want people to throng the theatres to watch my film too," he said, hitting back at the critics.
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