Neeraj Pandey opened up on why he didn’t de-age Ajay Devgn and Tabu to get them to play the younger version of their respective characters in his upcoming film, Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha.
Known for his gritty espionage thrillers, Neeraj Pandey is all set to surprise us this time with a star-crossed love story on the big screen in the form of his upcoming directorial, Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha, headlined by Ajay Devgn and Tabu.
Interestingly, the filmmaker got Shantanu Maheshwari and Saiee Manjrekar onboard to play the younger versions of the characters essayed by the two veteran actors in the movie. In a chat with News18 Showsha, Neeraj explained why he took this route instead of de-aging Ajay and Tabu with the help of VFX.
The acclaimed director shared, “We’ve done that only when it was the need of the story. Unfortunately, de-aging is being overdone now bordering on the abuse of technology. For this particular story, you can’t age Ajay and Tabu’s characters into 21-year-olds. That would look ridiculous!”
Calling it a novelty that sets his film apart, Neeraj said, “And it is this novelty he believes that sets his film apart. “We were very clear from day one that there would be two different sets of actors to portray two age groups because that fits the story and that, I think, is the beauty of it. People change after 24. Our physical appearance changes.”
On being asked to share his thoughts on older actors being romantically paired opposite much younger actresses, Neeraj said that he has got nothing against this trend.
He was quoted as saying, “I’ve got nothing against what has been happening. It should play out as long as the actors fit the characters and don’t become a sore sight. It’s a situation that didn’t come up suddenly. If we look back at the history of cinema all around the world, you’ll find such instances and that’s the way cinema has evolved or has always been – be it in the West or over here.”
Coming back to Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha, the film is slated to release on July 5, 2024.
