Aanand L. Rai on why Sara Ali Khan was perfect for Atrangi Re

Aanand L. Rai is riding high on the success of Atrangi Re. The film has received praise from all around and especially the lead duo, Dhanush and Sara Ali Khan have been lauded for their performances. 

While the unusual casting had everyone second guessing, when the film released, the audiences were on board with the choices. Even Dhanush had expressed that he wasn’t sure if Sara could play a mature character like Rinku but she sure did stand the test of time and surprised everyone with her portrayal. 

Talking about why he picked Sara and when he realised she was fit for the role, director Aanand L Rai spoke to Filmfare and said, “The day I met Sara I knew she was the one. We knew it was a very difficult casting because we needed an actor who is very young with that natural innocence. But at the same time she had to have the restlessness and then understand the complexity of the character. This is very rare to get in one actor. To have the innocence and still have the maturity to understand the character. Sara comes with all this. She has a childlike quality and yet has a lot of maturity for her age.” 

He further spoke of the complexities of the character and how it will always be hard to tell a story around mental health. He added that the audiences have to understand the intention and truth with which the filmmaker tells a story and only then will sensitive topics like this can be covered in cinema.