My artistes, my world

The director with Alaya F on the set of Sri; (right) Rajkummar Rao

As a director, Tushar Hiranandani has offered us two diverse projects, Saand Ki Aankh (2019) and Scam 2003: The Telgi Story. But the two were bound by a common thread - each offering was praised for its lead actor's performance. The audience expects similar magic with his next, Sri, which sees Rajkummar Rao play the visually-impaired industrialist, Srikanth Bolla. Hiranandani, who is handling the biopic's post-production currently, is confident that people will be blown away by the leading man's performance. "In Sri, I cast Rajkummar with Jyothika, who is acting in Hindi films after 15-16 years. I am sure when the trailer comes out, people will be talking about Raj. He is a fantastic actor anyway," says the director. The movie, slated for an early 2024 release, also features Alaya F.

So, what makes his actors come alive under his direction? Probably the fact that Hiranandani feels protective and affectionate, almost like a mother, towards them. "I think like a mother now. In my first film, I was criticised for the casting, but when Bhumi [Pednekar] and Taapsee [Pannu] won awards, I was the happiest. Now when Gagan is being praised, it's the same feeling. Nothing makes me happier than my actors being praised."