‘Sayonee’ director Nitin Kumar Gupta shares a beautiful bond with actor Rahul Roy
Be it Aashiqui or his victory in the first season of Bigg Boss, actor Rahul Roy has always been a prominent name in the industry. He might have been inactive in Bollywood for a while, but Rahul has never been forgotten, says director Nitin Kumar Gupta. Nitin’s film Sayonee, starring Rahul Roy in the lead, will be releasing on the 18th of December 2020. Talking about why he cast him, Nitin says, “When we went through a list of actors who would fit in the Indo-Russian look, and have not been stereotyped, Rahul Roy struck as a fantastic choice. He had been away from Bollywood for 10 years in Australia but still was fresh in everyone’s minds. We knew he would work incredibly well if we modernised his look keeping in mind that his hairstyle had been an instant success. I fixed blond dreadlocks look for him and everyone was shocked to see him in the look when we first tried it. We knew we had a hit villain on our hands that moment!” he says.
Rahul and Nitin go a long way back. “I have known Rahul for over 8 years. He had asked me to compose music for a film he had produced called Elaan. Thus, I was incredibly happy when I got the chance to cast him in my production 8 years later,” says Nitin.
Recently, there was news of Rahul suffering a stroke. Talking about the same, Nitin says that it was a huge shock for the actor as well as others around him. “I have worked with Rahul on Sayonee, then a movie called Walk in August 2020, where he plays a migrant worker, and then LAC in November 2020, where he plays an army Colonel. All three roles are dramatically different, both character-wise and look-wise. He has moulded his accent, body language and look for each. We have grown incredibly close and I think of him as family. During the last shoot, he warned me that I dare not do any film without him! The stroke was a shock but as a doctor, I know sickness is a part of life and we must move forward stronger than before. He will recover very well, is what I can guarantee,” says Nitin, who has been an ophthalmologist before starting out in showbiz.
Nitin is also a music composer himself, yet he didn’t choose to do the film’s music on his own. “I love being a multitasker but as a composer, I know music, apart from being incredibly creative, is also deeply technical. If I am unable to give it enough time being involved with writing and direction, I would be doing the audience an injustice. That’s why I decided to hand the musical baton to youngsters who would work on the music with the time and effort it deserves. I did maintain strict supervision during all aspects of music though!” he says.