Mumbai: Following the triumph of his recent horror-comedy venture, filmmaker Amar Kaushik is now immersed in preparations for Shakti Shalini, the latest addition to Maddock Films’ expanding Horror Comedy Universe. The project marks the sixth entry in the franchise, with the recent reveal of Saiyaara sensation Aneet Padda stepping into the lead role. Yet, this announcement arrived against a backdrop of swirling speculation suggesting that Bollywood star Kiara Advani had already been secured for the part. In an exclusive chat with Filmygyan, Kaushik dispelled these claims, shedding light on the origins of the misinformation and its broader implications for the industry.
Kaushik, who co-produced the acclaimed Thamma, emphasized that Advani’s involvement was never a reality. “Kiara is a beautiful actor,” he remarked, expressing his longstanding admiration. “But her casting in the film was never confirmed. I don’t know how this rumour got spread. I have always wanted to work with Kiara. I am waiting — when will I direct or produce one of her films. But when you are writing a story, then you decide which actor will suit this character. And we were in the writing process of Shakti Shalini when Saiyaara just released.”
Addressing queries about whether Advani had been officially attached, the director was unequivocal: “Kiara was never locked for the film. We were just thinking about the actors who could play this role.” He went on to highlight the disruptive nature of such unfounded buzz, which he attributes to orchestrated negativity. “The speculations tire you, and you have to handle them more than concentrating on your work,” Kaushik noted. “Ek normal PR hota hai that you are promoting your film. Ek hota hai ki payment kar ke aap uska kharab PR karo, woh zyada ho raha hai aajkal (People are paying upfront to do bad PR of films).”
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Such tactics, he observed, extend beyond professional boundaries, mirroring personal conflicts. “These things happen behind your back… but you can’t do anything about them because these things happen in our house also, and that is reflected in the industry.” Turning his focus to Padda, Kaushik lavished praise on the newcomer, whose breakout performance in Saiyaara caught his eye. “Aneet has shown a little bit of her potential in Saiyaara. Uss ladki mein bhara hua hai talent (She has a lot of talent). You have to hold her sometimes and ask her not to think much. She has a well volcano inside her and she is very pure right now.”
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