Abhishek Banerjee on Bhediya: Amar bhai always saw the actor in me

After Stree and Bala, casting director-turned-actor Abhishek Banerjee reunites with director Amar Kaushik for Varun Dhawan-led Bhediya.

From his spine-chilling act as Hathoda Tyagi in Paatal Lok to his moving performance in Unpaused, Abhishek Banerjee had a brilliant run in 2020. Now, the casting director-turned-actor is set to reunite with Bala (2019) director Amar Kaushik for his horror satire, tentatively titled Bhediya. The project, fronted by Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon, is expected to go on floors next month.

Amar Kaushik

"I knew Amar bhai when he was an associate director, and I, a casting associate. We met on the sets of No One Killed Jessica [2011]," recounts Banerjee, thrilled to team up with the filmmaker for the third time. It was, after all, in Kaushik's Stree (2018) that Banerjee caught everyone's attention with "Vicky, please" — a dialogue that spawned numerous memes and jokes. "He always saw the actor in me. In fact, he would always ask me, 'Tu yeh role kyun nahin kar leta?' I used to tell him that I will act when the time is right. Then, he offered me a scene in Go Goa Gone [2013], promising me R5000 for an hour's work. I did the cameo only because I trusted him. Eventually, when I saw Aaba [Kaushik's first short film], I realised that Amar bhai is a supremely talented director."

Varun Dhawan

The actor reveals that he chased Kaushik when the latter began mounting his first feature film. "I chased him till I got the role of Jaana in Stree. The day I watched the movie on screen, I confessed to him that I am willing to be even a prop in his films," laughs the actor, who has Rashmi Rocket, Aankh Micholi and Helmet in the pipeline.

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