Dharmendra Turned Down Role in Agent Vinod, Reveals Sriram Raghavan
Sriram Raghavan on Dharmendra: Sriram Raghavan directed Dharmendra in his last film, '21'. Now, Sriram Raghavan has shared an anecdote about Dharmendra, where he turned down a role in 'Agent Vinod'. Find out the reason behind it...
The last movie of the late Bollywood actor Dharmendra was '21', which was released this year even after his death. However, the director of the movie '21', Sriram Raghavan, has now spoken about the late actor Dharmendra. Dharmendra refused a role in Sriram Raghavan's 2012 film 'Agent Vinod', even though they had worked together before in the movie 'Johnny Gaddaar'.
According to PTI, during a conversation at a Screenwriters Association (SWA) event, Sriram revealed that while planning "Agent Vinod," he had approached Dharmendra for the role of the RAW chief, but he declined.
The director said, "After 'Johnny Gaddaar,' I told him I wanted to work with him again. He said, 'Yes, absolutely.' I remember when I was making Agent Vinod, we had written a role for the RAW chief. Zeenat Aman was going to be opposite him. We wanted her to be in Russia. So it was a story about an old man and a young man."
Sriram Raghavan further explained that it was still in the writing stage. When I met him and told him about the role, he said, "RAW, chief, man, that's what you guys do. It's going to be India-Pakistan, I don't want to do it." He didn't want to get involved. I said, "I respect that." Then, we didn't pursue that story any further.
During the conversation, Sriram Raghavan also shared his experience working with Dharmendra on his last film, "Ekkies." He said, "Dharamji was one of the first people I narrated the story to. He loved it.
The way I work with him is to take the scene to him and say, 'Let's see what we can do.' He was a treasure trove of ideas. He had a lot to say. I remember telling him that one of his poems should be included in the film, and he suggested something like that.
Released on January 1st of this year, "Ekkies" is based on the life of Second Lieutenant Arun Khetarpal. Agastya Nanda plays the role of Arun Khetarpal, while Dharmendra plays his father. The film received critical acclaim, and fans were moved to see Dharmendra on the big screen after his death.
Dharamendra, 89, passed away on November 24th of last year. He was admitted to Mumbai's Breach Candy Hospital for several days. Later, his family decided to discharge him and treat him at home, where he passed away on November 24th.
