Tushar Hiranandani: Only Taapsee, Bhumi had balls to say yes

As the teaser of Saand Ki Aankh wins praise, director Tushar Hiranandani recounts his four-year struggle to give shape to the film on Revolver Dadis

If one were to go by Bollywood's standard, Saand Ki Aankh is a clutter-breaking film. And as is the norm with any unconventional idea, the Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar starrer has had a cumbersome journey from the drawing board to the big screen.

As the film's teaser opened to praise yesterday, director Tushar Hiranandani says he has lived with the story of Chandro and Prakashi Tomar - the oldest women sharpshooters in the country - for the past four years. "I saw them on Aamir Khan's Satyamev Jayate. I had tears in my eyes when Chandro dadi said 'Tann buddha hota hai, mann buddha nahi hota hai'. I told Nidhi [Parmar, producer wife] that I will tell their story to the world." For the debutant director, the gritty drama is a departure from the scripts he has previously penned, including Masti (2004) and Ek Villain (2014).

Director Tushar Hiranandani

Also Read: Taapsee Pannu: I try to keep my life as real as possible

"I have attempted every genre and I've enjoyed writing them all. As for Saand Ki Aankh, it wasn't an easy film to make. The casting was an insurmountable challenge. Taapsee and Bhumi were the only two actors who had the balls to say yes to this film. It took me fours year to get the project started. If it wasn't for Nidhi's belief in me, I would have given up. I had given up my well-paying job in Balaji [Telefilms] and had stopped writing films to start this movie. She supported me monetarily all through."

Having shown the gumption to base a film on two women in the autumn of their lives, Hiranandani hopes it sets a precedent. "People would assume that getting a producer [for such a project] would be hard, but Anurag Kashyap took care of everything. Whenever we met at parties, he would nudge me to become a director. So, when I met him at one party, I showed him an image of the two dadis holding the gun and told him that I want to make this movie. He said, then and there, 'I'm your producer'."

Also Read: Saand Ki Aankh teaser: Bhumi Pednekar and Taapsee Pannu hit the bull's eye

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