Made on a budget of ₹65 lakh, Rajkummar Rao's critically acclaimed film, Shahid, is one of the best works of his career. Rajkummar played the titular role of a lawyer and human rights activist Shahid Azmi, who was assassinated in 2010 in Hansal Mehta's directorial.
Hansal's son Jai Mehta recently spoke about Shahid facing struggles during its making and release.
Shahid's shoot got stretched for over a year
In a new interview with Hindustan Times, Jai Mehta, who worked as the executive producer and the first assistant director on the 2012 film, shared that they had initially planned a 32-day-long shoot schedule for it. However, the shooting got stretched for 1.5 years.
"We shot a 32-day shoot for a period of a year and a half, and the fact that the entire crew stayed and we pulled off a movie in ₹65 lakh. It’s a very good feat!” Jai said.
Jai Mehta talks about how Shahid was finally accepted in India
Despite being screened at various film festivals including the Toronto Film Festival and Busan International Film Festival, Shahid didn't have buyers in India. Even its positive reviews didn't work.
"Then the Mumbai film festival (MAMI) happened after quite some time of Toronto, and there, producers Siddharth Roy Kapur and Ronnie Screwvala watched the film, and that's when the audience really accepted it,” Jai added.
Jai Mehta has previously assisted in movies like Gangs of Wasseypur, CityLights, That Girl In Yellow Boots. He then directed his series, Lootere.
All about Shahid
Co-produced by Anurag Kashyap and Sunil Bohra, Shahid was released in association with Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur under the UTV Spotboy banner. The film hit the screens in India on October 18, 2013.
Shahid also starred Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, Tigmanshu Dhulia, and Kay Kay Menon in pivotal roles.
Rajkummar Rao's work front
Rajkummar Rao was recently seen in director Tushar Hiranandani's biographical film, Srikanth. Rajkummar is now gearing up for an upcoming film, Vicky Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video, in which he is paired with Triptii Dimri.
The actor is also returning as Vicky in Stree 2, the sequel to Stree (2018).