Why Drishyam was challenging for Nishikant Kamat

When Nishikant Kamat started work on his Hindi remake of Drishyam and managed to get Tabu and Ajay Devgn on board, he knew he had taken on an immense responsibility. The director tells us that presenting Tabu in a film when she was still basking in the rave reviews for her performance in Haider, did present its own challenges.

“Coming after Haider, I felt responsible for presenting her in the best way possible in our film — even though Drishyam is a thriller, a different genre from Haider,” Nishikant says. “For Tabu, the part was challenging as she plays a tough cop as well as a loving mother, so the balancing act was something she had to manage in a believable way. Despite being in the industry for so long, she didn’t question my vision, just went by it. She put in extra time to rehearse the tough action sequences.”

As for his leading man Ajay, Nishikant says the actor’s on-screen and off-screen personae are remarkably different: “Ajay has this silent, brooding image but on set, he is a different person. He is involved with every aspect of the film.” After Drishyam, Nishikant’s next release will be Rocky Handsome with John Abraham and Madari, starring Irrfan Khan.