Directors Raj & DK Recall Not Being Able To Cast Aamir Khan For Their Debut: 'We Didn't Have Access'

Director duo Raj & DK are currently on a roll after the back-to-back success of their web series Farzi and Guns & Gulaabs. They are counted among the best directors in the thriller genre, with popular works like Go Goa Gone and The Family Man in their repertoire. As they become increasingly popular among the audience, they recently recalled the time when they couldn’t approach big names in the industry, stating that they wanted to work with Aamir Khan for their debut film 99.

Talking to Sucharita Tyagi in an interview, Raj Nidimoru said, “We wrote 99 and went to Aamir Khan first. When you write something, and think of an ideal scenario, then people are like, ‘Who are you? Where are you from?’ I’m just saying. I don’t think we went to him. We couldn’t even get to him. We didn’t have access.”

While they always wanted their work to be seen by mainstream audiences, their dream didn’t see fruition till Saif Ali Khan starred in the 2013 film Go Goa Gone. Raj said, “Saif was, at that time, a hero of the whole rom-com genre, right? Him saying yes to Boris, to go ahead with that strange hair, he just bought into that. He thought it was silliness, but a thoughtful kind of silliness. So he just said, ‘Let’s do it’.”

However, in another interview with Film Companion, the director duo revealed that they are now looking to “mix it up” when it comes to casting for roles. “I do agree that streaming is an actor’s medium. But I’d also say that only an actor can do a series, not a star who’s not an actor. What we want to do as filmmakers is to give you so many people to fall in love with in that show that you don’t know the names of. You’re drawn in for something, but these actors are your takeaway. For example, in The Family Man, in both the seasons, there have been so many actors who are doing a lot of work now,” Raj said.

Their latest web series Guns & Gulaabs released on Netflix last Friday. It features Dulquer Salmaan, Rajkummar Rao and Gulshan Devaiah in key roles.