It has been close to two years since Nargis Fakhri had a big screen outing. But the actor seems to be making up for lost time – after shooting for Sanjay Dutt’s Torbaaz, she has also come on board Bhushan Patel’s next directorial, Amaavas. As the horror film went on floors in London yesterday, Patel said that he was glad to see that Fakhri had no reservations about trying her hand at a genre that has not fully gained prominence in Hindi cinema.
“When I first pitched the film to Nargis, I was apprehensive as horror films are treated like poor cousins of the other more popular genres in Bollywood. Fortunately, she loved the story and didn’t bat an eyelid before giving her nod,” said the director.
Patel further added that Fakhri was his first choice for the role, the dismal performance of her last few films not withstanding. It may be recalled that post the release of Banjo (2016), Fakhri had headed out to New York, leading to rumours that she had left Bollywood for good. However, she had rubbished the reports claiming that she would return to films as soon as a project caught her fancy. She stayed true to her word as she kicked off the 45-day start-to-finish schedule yesterday.
With Amaavas, Patel hopes that horror films will enjoy a steady fan base here, as they do in Hollywood. “A-list actresses like Anushka Sharma [with Pari] and Nargis giving consent to this genre could prove to be a major game changer,” said Patel.
