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National Awards 2024: Sooraj Barjatya says Uunchai was out of his comfort zone and he wasn't prepared to make it; recalls film started after Amitabh Bachchan agreed to do it
Sooraj Barjatya received the National Film Award in best direction category for Uunchai on Tuesday. On the occasion, Sooraj revealed that he didn't want to helm the 2022 film.
Ace filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya won the National Film Award in the Best Direction category for his 2022 directorial, Uunchai, and was felicitated at the award ceremony on Tuesday. During the event, Barjatya shared that Uunchai was out of his comfort zone, and the filmmaker wasn't prepared to direct the film. The Uunchai director recalled that he started working on the movie after Amitabh Bachchan agreed to do it.
During an interaction with Doordarshan, Sooraj Barjatya shared his experience of how he ended up directing Amitabh Bachchan-starrer Uunchai. Barjatya revealed that he had the story since 2016.
The Uunchai director shared that he didn't want to direct the 2022 film as the story was out of his comfort zone. The Hum Aapke Hain Koun helmer noted that he hadn't shot any film outside his studio except a few songs in Ooty.
Barjatya continued that he decided to work on Big B-starrer during the pandemic and took it as a challenge. The filmmaker further revealed that he penned the script of Uunchai in three months during COVID.
"Maine Bachchan sir ko phone kiya. Mahina bhar lia unhone, jab unka 'haan' aaya uske baad se shuru hua (I dialled Amitabh Bachchan sir's phone number. He took a month to say 'yes' and then finally we started making the film)," Barjatya said.
In the same interaction, Sooraj Barjatya shared that working with senior actors in Uunchai was a "dream team" for him and called his shooting experience "beautiful".
Recalling the filming days, Barjatya stated that they would pack up at 11 a.m. and no star cast needed to give more than a single shot for a scene. He expressed gratitude to the star cast who contributed to the filmmaking process.
Uunchai featured an ensemble cast that included Amitabh Bachchan, Anupam Kher, Boman Irani, and Danny Danzongpa. The film also starred Parineeti Chopra, Neena Gupta, and Sarika in crucial roles.
The 70th National Film Awards ceremony is being held at Vigyan Bhawan, New Delhi, on October 8 (Tuesday) to honor artists for their exceptional work in the Indian cinema. Veteran actor Mithun Chakraborty has been felicitated with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
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