Satish Kaushik’s sudden demise left the actors of ‘Kaagaz 2’ in a state of sorrow and the film in a limbo. However, the cast has come together to finish the film and release it in theatres. Aniruddh Dave opens up about his time spent with Satish Kaushik while shooting the film.
Satish Kaushik’s last film, ‘Kaagaz 2’ is all set to release on March 1. While the actor-director had completed most of the film’s shoot before passing away, it took a mammoth task for his close friends and the rest of the crew to complete the remainder of the film and ready it up for release. Anupam Kher, Aniruddh Dave, Darshan Kumaar, Neena Gupta and many others, who star in the movie, worked immensely hard to bring Satish Kaushik’s vision to life.
Talking about an advice that Satish Kaushik gave him during the film’s shoot, Aniruddh Dave says, “After COVID, I needed a bit of a recovery phase. Satish ji told me, ‘You need to become strong enough so that you can run, escape, and handle yourself with real soldiers.’ So, I jumped into the swimming pool from 50 feet above, where the Gentleman Cadets practice in Indian Military Academy (IMA), during the training scene. We shot the real scenes there. We were fortunate enough to see how they load and aim with guns and also gave similar shots.”
For the unversed, Aniruddh Dave was diagnosed with Covid-19 and was very critical. People from all over the world prayed day and night for the actor’s recovery. The hard work of the doctors and the billion prayers got the actor back on his feet. However, he was left very weak after the terrible bout of Covid-19. So, when he had to play the character which had a lot of action to do, naturally Satish Kaushik was worried. However, the young actor promised the veteran actor-director that he was okay and he didn’t any duplicates for the action sequences.
“I told him that I don’t need duplicates. I can do them myself. Satish ji gave me so much encouragement and motivation and I can’t thank him enough. I can’t find the words for it, but he has been my mentor in this journey,” says Aniruddh Dave talking about the late legendary actor-director’s advice.
The film’s trailer is laden with really patriotic scenes. Talking about that, Aniruddh Dave says, “There’s a beautifully woven narrative in this film. I think when the audience will watch it, they’ll be like, ‘Hey, this is a movie that will tickle you a bit, but will also get you emotional. There are moments in the film related to patriotism that are so impactful with goosebump-inducing moments.”
There had been reports since the past many months that the film might be released directly on OTT, however, now that the film is first releasing in theatres, everyone associated with the film is really happy. On the same, Aniruddh Dave says, “I am very happy that this film is finally releasing in the theatres. I loved shooting with Darshan Kumaar and Smriti Karla. Satish ji always wanted this film to be released in the theatre. It’s a very beautiful film and people are already loving the promo. I am very happy to be a part of this film.”
Satish Kaushik always was someone who spoke his heart out. So, eliciting a compliment from him was definitely a tough task. Talking of one such incident, Aniruddh Dave says, “Satish ji told me ‘You did excellent in this scene, and you will realise it when you watch it’. I couldn’t say anything except say thank you for his kind words. He also said, ‘I see you in such good variations, in such good roles, that I enjoy it. And the work you’ve done in ‘Kaagaz’ has won my heart.’ For me, there can be no greater appreciation, no greater reward in life than what I experienced with sir.”
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