Deepika-Kareena are not item girls in SRK film

Deepika-Kareena are not item girls in SRK film

By Subhash K Jha

Three years ago Deepika Padukone was supposed to make her debut in a film to be directed by Priyadarshan. She opted for Shah Rukh and Farah Khan and Om Shanti Om instead.

"I'm so glad that she did Om Shanti Om and not my film, she got lucky " says Priyan tongue-in-cheek, finally breaking his long silence. "Yes, she was being seriously considered for a film called Pirates about music piracy.

But the film didn't work out. I'm so glad Deepika made her debut with a film as successful as Om Shanti Om, and that too with Shah Rukh Khan, " says Priyan from the sets of Billo Barbar.

Besides Deeepika who'll be shooting later after she returns from her international shoot, Kareena also makes a guest appearance.

"Shah Rukh has asked one more heroine to join him. But Kareena and Deepika agreed because of Shah Rukh. They aren't performing item songs. They play his heroines."

Priyan had been trying to rope in Shah Rukh for years.

"I had offered him four other films. I never made those films. You can't make a film written for Shah Rukh with anyone else. Then now when he finally gave me 65 days, he said he's busy with the IPL and I'd have to adjust dates accordingly.

Then I narrated Billo Barbar to him. He got really excited and said, 'IPL and this film happen side by side'. This film takes me back to my Viraasat. I feel I've gone back to my roots."

Billo Barbar is a remake of the Tamil film Kadha Parayumbol which Priyan's regular writer Sreenivasan had directed.

Continues Priyan, "Irrfan Khan plays the title role and Shah Rukh plays a superstar called Saahil Khan. It's inspired by the mythical friendship between Lord Krishna and Sudama but done in a completely contemporary context.

It's about a village and the changes that happen in it when a superstar descends on the village. What people don't know is that there's a very strong suspense element in the film, "informs Priyan.

Regarding Irrfan the director says, "Any big star would've agreed to play the title role. But I wanted someone who looked like a real gao wala, a hardcore barbar. Irrfan is learning hair-cutting. But I'm not letting him cut my hair. Not yet.Can't take the risk"