How Akshay Kumar’s Rustom shattered Soni Razdan Nanavati’s directorial dream: ‘One day, when the time comes, it will happen’ | Hindi Film News

Soni Razdan’s second directorial venture Love Affair, based on the Nanavati murder case and starring Ali Fazal and Kalki Koechlin, was shelved three weeks before filming was to begin. Akshay Kumar’s Rustom, based on the same case, further disrupted her plans. Sony remains hopeful, however, saying “one day, when the time comes, it will happen.”

About ten years ago, Soni Razdan Currently filming her second directorial feature, Love Affair. While her first film Nazar, released in 2005, was written by her husband, renowned filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt, and produced under her brother Mukesh Bhatt’s banner Vishesh Films, Love Affair is a different proposition entirely. The film is jointly produced by Pooja Bhatt, Mahesh’s eldest daughter from his first marriage to Kiran Bhatt, and Bhushan Kumar’s T-Series, under her production company Fish Eye Network Private Limited. However, the project never made it to the screen.

sony Razdan enlists Ali Fazal and Kalki Koechlin in her Love Affair cast

Sony has even started the pre-production work of Love Affair in Ooty. The film is based on the infamous 1959 Nanavati murder case and features an impressive cast, with Ali Fazal as Nanavati, Kalki Koechlin as his wife and Chandan Roy Sanyal as lawyer Ram Jethmalani. Gulshan Devaiah, Hansika Motwani and Soni herself also play important roles in the film.

Soni Razdan reveals how Akshay Kumar’s ‘Rustom’ derailed her Nanavati film

In an exclusive interview with SCREEN, a disappointed Sony said: “It’s unfortunate that this happens in movies.” Sony painfully came close to filming before things fell apart. “We were three weeks away from shooting and there was a budget kerfuffle for some reason that I obviously can’t talk about. Then things didn’t happen and Rustom came out. When they were shooting Rustom, I said now is not the time,” Soni recalls, referring to Tinu Suresh Desai’s hit crime thriller, which also stems from the Nanavati murder case. The film stars Akshay Kumar in the lead role and is inspired by real-life naval officer KM Nanavati.

Soni Razdan still hopes to direct her ‘Nanavati’ one day

Although Love Affair never made it to the screen, Soni didn’t give up on her directorial ambitions. The film remains close to her heart and she is determined to make it a reality when the time is right. “I still want to make that movie because it’s a very, very good perspective from a woman’s story, a wife’s story. It’s a film about three people and we follow that story very closely. One day, when the time comes, it’s going to happen,” Sony said.

About the Nanavati murder case and the movie it was based on

Nanavati Murder is the story of a naval officer who kills his wife’s lover. This case has inspired many movies and shows over the years. RK Nayyar made Yeh Rastey Hain Pyar Ke in 1963, starring Ashok Kumar, Sunil Dutt and Leela Naidu. Gulzar also made a film called “Achanak” based on the case in 1973, starring Vinod Khanna, Om Shivpuri and Lily Chakravarty.

Soni Razdan plays Mehra Nanavati in Verdict – State vs Nanavati

Later, PN Menon also produced a Malayalam film titled ‘Ashthram’, loosely based on the same case, starring Bharath Gopi, Mammootty and Jyothi. After “Rustom” became so popular, Ekta Kapoor A web series titled “Verdict – State vs Nanavati” was produced for ALTBalaji and ZEE5. This is the first time the real names from the cases have been adapted. The show stars Manav Kaul as Nanavati Elie Avram as his wife and Virav Patel as her lover. Interestingly, Soni Razdan is also seen in the show, playing the role of Mehra Nanavati.