Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta and Saif Ali Khan’s Kal Ho Naa Ho is one of the most loved and talked about films of their careers. The film narrates a love triangle among three friends, built on sacrifice and respect for each other’s feelings. It was directed by filmmaker Nikkhil Advani, who started as an assistant director under Sudhir Mishra. During a recent chat, Nikkhil talked about integrating the finest aspects of Sudhir and Karan Johar’s universes into his movies. He also revealed how the late actor Irrfan Khan influenced his cinematic approach.
Speaking to Rajshri Unplugged, he said, “Heart of hearts I think I am closer to Sudhir. He has an idiom, a language that I am closer to than Karan. But I am dying to make a Salaam-e-Ishq or Kal Ho Naa Ho again. When I do a scene that needs a certain level of scale, I think of Karan. And I am not talking about visual scale, I am talking about emotional scale. The marriage between Sudhir’s realism with Karan’s drama is what I am very proud that is evident in my films like D Day and Mumbai Diaries.”
Nikkhil also opened up on Irrfan Khan. Speaking of his experience of working with the actor in D Day, he said, “In case of D Day. I had nothing to lose. I was already at the bottom of the barrel. The only way was up, so I didn’t compromise on anything. Also, Irrfan changed the way I approach cinema. On the first day, I was giving directions to my AD and Irrfan told me, ‘You have written a good script. He is a good AD. I am a good actor. You just do one thing – Tu monitor pe padhke maze le (You sit on the monitor and enjoy).’ That ‘maze le’ became important for me in my career. If I am not having fun, then what I am doing.”
Nikkhil Advani next directorial, Vedaa, stars John Abraham and Sharvari in the lead roles.
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