Director's Cut: 'Rajiv Kapoor sir got beautiful energy onto the sets, and he used to lighten up the environment,' shares Toolsidas Junior fame Mridul

Filmmaker Mridul’s film Toolsidas Junior stars the late Rajiv Kapoor and Sanjay Dutt in pivotal roles. The Free Press Journal caught up with the director for an exclusive chat.

When asked about shooting with the late Rajiv Kapoor in the film, he reveals, “The father’s role is extremely special, where the child loves him a lot. It was a special casting. One day, my producer Ashu sir (Ashutosh Gowarikar), came up with an idea to cast Rajiv Kapoor, and I jumped over it, but I was concerned too since he had been away from the screen for around 30 years. We narrated the story to him, and he got very excited and said yes to us.”

Elaborating further, he adds, “We needed a lovable man, who also belongs to old Calcutta going to the club, so Rajiv sir had all those elements to his personality. The only task was his availability, whether he could do this film or not. He was almost living a retired life and had put on a lot of weight. However, when he came for a costume trial after three months, he had lost weight and looked amazing. On the sets, too, he was facing the camera after 30 years, but it didn’t feel like it to any of us. He was such a switch on-off actor. He got beautiful energy onto the sets, and he used to lighten up the environment. He actually befriended the kid.”

When probed on choosing an unexplored sport as a subject for his directorial, he explains, “When I wrote the first draft and story shaped up, it was always snooker. It was a new sport which didn’t require physical prowess but needed focus and dedication. Reality hit me when I went out to pitch this film. I met several producers, but someone insisted I change the subject to wrestling, but Ashutosh sir took the film for what it is.”

Recently seen as Adheera in KGF: Chapter 2, Sanjay Dutt plays the coach in Toolsidas Junior. “He had played pool earlier several times in the clubs, so he knew the basic movement and the posture. In front of the camera, he becomes exactly the way you want him to become. He has explained the sport to the kid in a funny way. He has a dash of Munnabhai in him in Toolsidas Junior. He was shooting for Panipat alongside my film, and he had such heavy costumes weighing around 25 kgs, and for Toolsidas Junior, he only had two t-shirts, a couple of shirts and jeans. For a scene, he had around 25 paans to get the redness in his mouth, but I had to stop after some time,” he gushes.

Before Toolsidas Junior, Mridul has assisted Ashutosh Gowarikar on the television show, Everest. “He is a creative stalwart, and I have the most comfort level with him. I feel, as a writer, you can collaborate with very few people. He lets you flow. He used to discuss every night about my film while shooting for his Panipat after he used to pack up,” he concludes.