EXCLUSIVE: Aanand L Rai on Shah Rukh Khan in Zero: Not dealing with Raj or Rahul, but with Sunil or Raju

When we picture, Aanand L Rai, we could imagine him as a down-to-earth and soft-spoken filmmaker, who has put small towns of India on the map. When we encountered him, the impression was the same which we had expected. From talking about sharing an equation with the lead actor of Zero, Shah Rukh Khan like long lost friends to currently going through withdrawal symptoms, Aanand revealed it all.

Excerpts from the interview...

How did the idea of Zero come in your mind?

With Tanu Weds Manu Returns and Raanjhanaa, I was enjoying, but I was reaching a point where more than me, people were talking about it. They were saying that Aanand is good with a small town, man-woman relationship. I wanted to break that and wanted to explore more. I wanted to get rid of that and do something a little more than that. Then this idea of a vertically challenged man came to me and this is something professionally I wanted to use as my expansion, as a storyteller and use VFX as the emotions. I said I should not lose my opportunity of using VFX as an emotion to own it for your own story. 

Happiness is what makes people pretty, happy people are beautiful. #genuine #smile #zero #2ZERO18

Talking about VFX, which you have used for the very first time in your career, was it like a learning experience for you as well?

This was a great learning experience. The story makes you a better person, the film makes you a better director. For me, this entire process has made me a better filmmaker. 

From the sets of @aanandlrai film. Techno Dolly,chroma screens & gizmos galore...

This is the first time you are working with Shah Rukh Khan but with the camaraderie, you both share, it looks like you are long lost friends. How was your first meet with him and how did it evolve gradually?

It was magical, I can't describe it. Definitely, deep down I knew somewhere that a person like me or a director like me will really enjoy with a person like Shah Rukh Khan or an actor in a person like this. When I met him, there was no stopping, we really enjoyed working with each other. He is such an experienced and intelligent man when he talks, he makes so much of sense. He is like a teacher at times to me and similarly, when he is on the sets, he is a fantastic student who wants to learn more. We both somewhere have clicked really well and enjoyed each other's company. 

What glance of Shah Rukh Khan made you believe he can be Bauua Singh?

He is a very secured and gutsy actor, so it was very important for a person like him to get into the skin of the character like Bauua Singh. I have grown on his films, I have seen him taking those challenges. In his early days, only he started films like Darr or Baazigar. Those were not very leading man kind of roles that he chose at that time. With this fact, I knew that I can make a film like this with him. I needed somebody very confident and very sure of what he does. That made me say that, 'Yeh hi hai jiske saath yeh film ban sakti hai.'

But you didn't keep SRK on your mind when you were writing the script.

It was an idea which I was developing and that time, you don't imagine a face. Once I started working on the story, it was all the way, Shah Rukh Khan. 

Talking about the casting process, how did you zero down to Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma?

I was very clear about what I want. It was a pure casting, I knew I wanted Katrina for this role. I wanted somebody stunningly beautiful because I was on its face value. At the same time, I wanted to explore the other side of that woman. One thing which actually Katrina was justifying was this she looks gorgeous. Then as an actor, she had to play the person inside this actor. So, I knew very well that Katrina can do it brilliantly - two sides of a life, where you present yourself as an actor in front of the screen which is of so much glam and beauty. The other side was the human side which is not an actor, which is a normal girl.

Whereas with Anushka, I needed somebody as a person, who is honest, straightforward, quite transparent with her thoughts, that was something which I was searching. I think Anushka is a very honest girl, that really worked for me. 

You have been saying with this film SRK will be back with a bang. Don't you think that has become an added pressure on you?

See, Shah Rukh sir had his own journey, starting, where he used to play Sunil (Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na), Raju (Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman), Raj (Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge), Rahul (Kuch Kuch Hota Hai). What I am saying is that it's a circle, he is completely going back to his Raju or Sunil zone! What I meant was he is in the rotation, I'm not dealing with a Raj or Rahul, this time I am dealing with Sunil and Raju. 

What does Zero mean to you?

The film is all about celebrating life with whatever we have. It deals with incompleteness and it makes us full. Nobody is perfect, so Zero is something which I feel, though it looks incomplete and has got no value. But there is great completeness to it. The same is like this us, we have our own completeness, but we complete somebody else. Zero is actually infinity!

From the BTS scenes being shared on social media, it looks like you miss being on the sets. Do you suffer from withdrawal symptoms? 

Yes, I do. I always feel once I start reaching to a point, when we have finished our shoot and waiting for the release when we are doing promotions, I feel emotionally weak. I feel that this thing will come to an end because I have enjoyed and cherished every moment from the last three years. I am always scared of losing my characters, whether it's Bauua, Aafia or Babita.