Kamal Ghorui
‘Dhurandhar’ and ‘Dhurandhar 2’ have set a benchmark at the box office and continue to be spoken about. This further cemented Aditya Dhar as one of the most admired directors in the industry today, with several actors eager to collaborate with him. Actress Chitrangada Singh, who is gearing up for the release of her upcoming film ‘Maatrubhumi’ with Salman Khan, recently opened up about a project she was once supposed to do with Dhar that never took off.Chitrangada spoke highly of the filmmaker and expressed her desire to work with him someday. She said in an interview with Variety India, “Who doesn’t want to work with him? I’d love to, obviously, because he’s brilliant and has changed the whole system. How many people are going to go back, rewrite and introspect? Just to see that kind of passion in filmmaking is so inspiring.”The actress also recalled an unreleased film titled “Sufi”, which she was meant to headline under Dhar’s direction. Sharing details about the shelved project, she revealed, “I was going to do a film with Aditya Dhar, called ‘Sufi’. Around 2012, he and I were constantly in touch and trying very hard to get this film made. And there was a lot of back and forth. He’d written this amazing character for me. It was almost getting done, and we were going to announce the film. But it didn’t happen.”Remembering their old conversations while congratulating him on Dhurandhar, Chitrangada added, “So recently, when I messaged him [about Dhurandhar], I didn’t know whether he’d even be on the same number. And then I realised, [with] the whole chat and everything, ‘Oh my God, we really worked hard on that one!’”Praising Dhar’s latest directorial venture, which stars Ranveer Singh and Sara Arjun in lead roles, the actress said, “I can’t speak of anything else right now. I think Dhurandhar was fantastic. I think Sara Arjun has done an amazing job in it. She was brilliant in those scenes.”Meanwhile, Chitrangada is awaiting the release of Maatrubhumi, an upcoming drama inspired by real-life events surrounding the Galwan Valley clash. Directed by Apoorva Lakhia, the film is being backed by Salman Khan Films under the banner of Salma Khan.In the film, Salman Khan essays the role of an Indian Army Colonel, while Chitrangada Singh plays his wife. According to the makers, the project aims to portray themes of bravery, sacrifice and resilience, while also exploring emotional relationships and personal conflicts against the backdrop of national duty.
