Ashutosh nabs the baddie

A massive hunt for the perfect villain has caused a slight delay to his epic film ‘Jodha Akbar’

Villains are known to wreck mayhem on screen. However, for director Ashutosh Gowariker, that happened off it. The acclaimed filmmaker of ‘Lagaan’ and ‘Swades’, a perfectionist, spent countless days auditioning actors for the  villain’s role in his epic film ‘Jodha-Akbar’.

The film has Aishwarya Rai and Hrithik Roshan as protagonists. While he did manage to pencil in a small-time actor, the search ended in delaying the film by a month.

Sources reveal that Gowariker held back-to-back auditions in his office premises and at Mehboob Studios. Apparently, he needed an actor who could complement Hrithik Roshan’s (Akbar) height and physique for this small but significant role.

“Even background artistes were expected to know sword-fighting and horse-riding,” discloses an actor who went for the audition. Sources reveal that the climax and war scenes of the film will be shot first. All the major forts in Jaipur have been booked. Local coordinators have even arranged for elephants and horses to be used in the film.

s_ayaz@dnaindia.net