Rumy Jafry's directorial, Chehre, has been making headlines ever since the project was announced — from cast to delay in release, the movie has never been out of sight. Chehre, which brings Amitabh Bachchan and Emraan Hashmi together for the first time, is a mystery thriller, is finally gearing up for a theatrical release on August 27. The multi-starrer boasts of names like Annu Kapoor, Krystle D'Souza, Drithiman Chakroborthy, Raghubir Yadav, Siddhanth Kapoor, and Rhea Chakraborty.
Jafry says he is excited that the movie is finally hitting the theatres and happy that he got a chance to work with such talented actors. “Emraan will be seen in a different avatar and has given his best for the movie. Like Amitji [Bachchan], Emraan too is hard-working, disciplined, and a dedicated actor. He always comes prepared on the sets and has the whole scene memorised before giving the shot,” Jafry says.
Bankrolled by Anand Pandit Motion Pictures and Saraswati Entertainment Private Limited, the movie marks Jafry's foray into the suspense genre after being majorly associated with the comedy genre. He has written scripts/dialogues for hits like Hero No 1, Coolie No 1, Jodi No 1, Dulhan Hum Le Jayenge, among several others. And, now with Chehre, the director says he wants to reinvent himself.
“I have written innumerable comedy scripts and have done a lot of films with David Dhawan. But now, I want to reinvent myself. In our industry, people also wish to see you do different things than what you have already done. I have sacrificed a lot for this film. I did not take up work for almost six years, but Amitji supported me. He encouraged me to make whatever my heart tells me to. Chehre will decide my future — if this film works, it will determine my further line-up of work. I am sure producers will have faith in me after watching the movie. I hope they feel that I can handle different genres and sign me on for their projects. But if this does not happen, then I will have to return to the pavilion,” expresses Jafry.
Chehre has also been embroiled in controversy over actor Rhea Chakraborty's role being chopped from the film. Putting the rumours to rest, Jafry says, “Rhea’s role is not less or more. Whatever was there in the script from the beginning has been retained. We never felt the need to edit her role.”
Calling Rhea's character in the film “unusual,” Jafry adds, “Zindagi mein Rhea seedhi hai, lekin film mein tedhi hai (Rhea's a good girl in real life, but in the film not so much). It's not a normal character, and the audience will enjoy watching it.”
Last year, actor Sushant Singh Rajput's death by suicide shook the industry. But it had a deeper impact on the director, who was gearing up to work with the late actor. Jafry says the project has been locked in a cupboard as he cannot see anyone replacing Sushant. “I don’t feel like making that script after his death. We were supposed to begin the shoot in May, but it could not happen due to lockdown. After his death, many producers called me as they were ready to back it. But, honestly, whenever I think about that script, I see his face. I had written it with Sushant in mind. In fact, we had also done a few rehearsals. At a later stage, if I feel like making it, I might just do it. But right now, I cannot think about SSR’s replacement,” Jafry signs off.
