'I took the pressure of Shah Rukh Khan's stardom that I shouldn't have'

Filmmaker Aanand L Rai is known for collaborating with several superstars be it Dhanush Akshay Kumar Shah Rukh Khan Katrina Kaif and Anushka Sharma while he kept experimenting with his storytelling instead of following any formula of commercial Bollywood filmsIn conversation with IANS Aanand shares why he opts for conviction in storytelling as opposed to formula and why a film like Zero with one of the biggest superstars of Bollywood Shah Rukh Khan was actually not a failure but a learning for himAsked how he plans his casting of bringing superstars on board for his projects and Aanand told IANS Well firstly by not looking at them as a superstar but the talented actors that they areyou see the moment I would start thinking about casting from a commercial point of view as in lets bring Dhanush from the south Indian film industry and Akshay sir from Hindi so that when the film is released both their fans will gather in the theatre to watch a film I might compromise on a storyIt is my good luck that Dhanush and Akshay sir both are superstars but before anything else they are good actors and perfect for the characters they played onscreen It was the same process for every film that I have done Perhaps that is why my films are more to do with how interesting and experimental the story is rather than the boxoffice success Business of a film cannot be predicted but what I can offer is an original story That is all I am trying to doHowever it is not wrong to assume that when a superstar and a successful filmmaker like Aanand come together for a project the success of the film is expected But that was not really the result with the film Zero that featured Shah Rukh Katrina and AnushkaDoes the pressure of delivering a successful film increase when superstars are on boardAanand explained I want to put my thoughts on the table on this topic Look having an expectation from the audience is one thing and how I as a director of the film is dealing with it is another I think if I am not ready to deal with that extra pressure then I should have not signed up for a huge project like thatYes I was working with one of the biggest superstars of our country Shah Rukh Making the film itself was an experience and I am proud of the fact that it was one of the original films an original story Yes I took the pressure of Khans stardom that I shouldnt have But Zero is not a failure but a learning for me I knew how to take off I didnt know how to landHis next directorial work is Raksha Bandhan starring Akshay Kumar The shooting of the film has been completedThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever