Tale of two Jaideeps in Dibakar Banerjee's filmography
What's the story
The filmography of director Dibakar Banerjee is incomplete without the mention of writer Jaideep Sahni and actor Jaideep Ahlawat.
Had it not been for Sahni, there would be no Khosla Ka Ghosla, says Banerjee, who made his directorial debut with the 2006 comedy-drama about a middle-class Delhiite and his family's attempt to reclaim their land which has been seized by a builder.
Jaideep Sahni
Sahni was the reason Banerjee directed 'Khosla ka Ghosla'
Calling Sahni an inciting incident in his career, Banerjee said, "Sahni was the first person the producers were in touch with when they wanted to make Khosla Ka Ghosla."
"Sahni suggested my name to the producer. They asked him to come on board as a creative producer and write the script, and for me to direct. Sahni was helming the project creatively," Banerjee said.
Jaideep Ahlawat
Banerjee hopes Jaideep Ahlawat gets his due soon
Actor Jaideep Ahlawat, who has risen to be one of the most sought-after performers in the last year, courtesy of the Amazon Prime Video series Paatal Lok, has worked with Banerjee on two projects, Lust Stories, the Netflix anthology film, and the recently released Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar.
Banerjee hopes that Ahlawat gets his due in time and is not recognized late.
Further details
Ahlawat should be given quality roles: Banerjee
In Lust Stories, Ahlawat featured in Banerjee's segment, starring Manisha Koirala and Sanjay Kapoor as a couple. In Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar, the actor plays Tyagi, the mentor-turned-enemy to Arjun Kapoor's character Pinky.
"We should treasure actors like Ahlawat and give them the roles so that they can dominate the world stage," said Banerjee as he talked about Ahlawat's performance and talent.
Future plans
Banerjee is looking forward to working with Sahni again
"We must ensure that actors like Ahalwat and Sukant Goel are given their due. We must not let these deserving actors wait like Irrfan Khan and Nawazuddin Siddiqui had to," Banerjee added.
Banerjee said he has been looking to collaborate with Sahni, known for films like Chak De! India and Bunty Aur Babli, once again.
The director's next project is a Netflix Original feature.