Ravi Udyawar, who is making his debut with Sridevis Mom, says the veteran actress elder daughter Jhanvi suggested Pakistani actor Adnan Siddiquis name for the role of a father in the film.
‘Jhanvi is the one who recommended Adnan Siddiqui’s name while we were casting. We were looking for somebody for a father’s role and Jhanvi said, ‘I’ve seen this actor called Adnan Siddiqui, who has done A Mighty Heart with Angelina Jolie. I had also watched that film, so I looked up for him and we cast him in the film,’ Udyawar told over phone from Mumbai.
Besides Adnan, Mom also features Pakistani actress Sajal Ali as Sridevi’s daughter in the film.
‘It was amazing working with them (Adnan and Sajal), they are fine actors. It was important to cast the daughter as she had to connect well with Sridevi’s character. So, they have done a brilliant job,’ said Udyawar, who has previously worked as an art director, producer-director on television entertainers and has also directed commercials and music videos.
Besides them, Mom, releasing on Friday, also features Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Akshaye Khanna.
Udyawar says the idea behind making Mom was to ‘explore mother-daughter bond and put conflict into that’.
‘I really love the intricacies of relations where things are not spoken, but you can feel the problems in it.
I am trying to give an answer to the question, ‘What it really means to be a mother?’ It’s a fictional story, but a relevant story in today’s times,’ he said.
The process of the film’s making started in 2014 when Udyawar met Sridevi’s husband producer Boney Kapoor.
‘We discussed some ideas and I liked one of them which talked about a mother and her daughter. I always wanted Sridevi ma’am as the protagonist and he said, ‘You have to pitch it to her and if she likes it then we will make it.’ (IANS)
