Bad box office reports are no dampener. Director Makrand Deshpande on why he is upbeat about Shahrukh Bola. Khoobsurat Hai Tu His film has tanked in box office,so why is Makrand Deshpande,director of Shahrukh Bola. Khoobsurat Hai Tu,still smiling? In fact,he sounds upbeat over phone from Mumbai. It is too early to judge the response of the audience. I have worked hard on this project which is a film of faith. I had attained a saturation point in terms of theatre. So I thought,lets get out and capture some real life and add fantasy to it, says the 45-year-old theatre veteran,whom couch potatoes would remember from his role in Doordarshans Circus which also starred a scrawny new actor called Shahrukh Khan . Deshpandes last directorial outing was the film Daanav in 2003 which,too,had failed commercially. Shahrukh Bola. is the story of a poor flower seller from the streets of Mumbai. One day,she comes face to face with Shah Rukh Khan and he tells her,Khoobsurat hai tu. Her life changes completely, says Deshpande,who has cast two new actors and features a cameo by Khan. He believes that years in theatre and Bollywood he has acted in films such as Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro,Sarfarosh,Darna Zaroori Hai and Swadeshave given him an insight into the kind of face he wants for the role. I wanted a new face and saw a girl come out of Prithvi theatre one day. I told my assistant to ask her if she would work on the film,and she was finalised immediately, adds Deshpande about his lead Pritika Chawla. He repeats that he is confident that his film would find its audience despite being released alongside Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (Part I) and Sanjay Leela Bhansalis Guzaarish . Why SRK?Aamir would have been a bad choice for this role. He is more of a philosopher. While Shahrukhs personality is that of a charmer and an entertainer. He is a guy who has seen a lot and has worked really hard to be where he is. This does not mean that the others have not. He is the one who has this strange impact on people. He is enigmatic, says Deshpande. It was another superstar who had featured in one of Deshpande most memorable scripts,Ram Gopal Vermas Main Madhuri Dixit Banana Chahti Hoon. Deshpande has already moved on he is ready with his next film titled Dream Man that will star Kay Kay Menon which releases in April.
