Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is a renowned filmmaker and producer. He has directed some critically acclaimed movies like ‘Rang De Basanti’ and ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’. He is also the recipient of four National awards.
Earlier, Mehra announced his upcoming autobiography which is titled ‘The Stranger in The Mirror’. The book is published by Rupa Publications and it already hit shelves on 27th July. It has a foreword by A.R. Rahman and an afterword by Aamir Khan.
Rakeysh talks about ‘Daniel Craig’ auditioning for his film ‘Rang de Basanti’ in a chapter. Therefore, his book has first person accounts of the film and advertising industry based on Mehra’s personal experiences. It is co-authored by Reeta Ramamurthy Gupta.
‘Daniel Craig was my first choice’ says Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra
The 58-year-old recollects, “I remember vividly that one of the people who auditioned for the part of the young jailor who walks Bhagat Singh, Rajguru and Sukhdev to be hanged, was none other than current James Bond, Daniel Craig.”
Mehra’s work caught the attention of London based producers David Reid and Adam Bowling. They were interested in the storyline of ‘Rang de Basanti’. Alice Patten and Steven Mackintosh who played the roles of Sue and James McKinley came through the duo. Another actor was Daniel Craig.
“Daniel Craig was my first choice but he requested if we could allow some time as he was also being considered to be the next James Bond. The rest, as they say, is history”, writes Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra.
The filmmaker further tells on his collaboration with A.R. Rahman, “One of the greatest joys of my life has been to be inside the recording studio when AR is creating a song of mine, not because I feel the need to guide but because I enjoy seeing his creative genius at work.”
Mehra’s latest film is ‘Toofan’, starring Farhan Akhtar.