You have to be on Anurag Basu’s set to experience his magic: Rajkummar Rao

Rajkummar Rao and Anurag Basu have teamed up for a yet-untitled multi-starrer slice-of-life film, which is, apparently, the sequel to the filmmaker’s hit relationship drama Life in a Metro.

Gushing over his director in an interview with indianexpress.com, Rao called Basu a creative genius, whose magic can only be experienced to be understood.

“He is like a kid on the set. He is a genius. The film and the characters are clear in his mind. I just love working with him. We are doing Imli after this. I am just so happy that I have got two films with him and, hopefully, many more.

“He has got this great energy that all of us on the set are in awe of him. He is like a friend, a brother. We all call him dada. You have to be present on the set to experience that magic,” Rajkummar Rao said.

While their current collaboration also stars Pankaj Tripathi, Abhishek Bachchan, Fatima Sana Sheikh, Sanya Malhotra and Aditya Roy Kapur, Imli will feature Kangana Ranaut. It will go on floors later this year.

In a recent interview with indianexpress.com, Anurag Basu said he doesn’t share films’ scripts with his actors as he wants to use their spontaneity to the films’ advantage.

When asked about it, Rao said the director, at times, does reserve the dialogues to surprise his actors but he always shares the screenplay with them way in advance of the film’s shoot.

The National Award-winning actor also said Basu’s process is something that he loved adapting to as he doesn’t like preparing a lot for his characters.

“He gives you the character brief and tells you the story, but there are times when he won’t give you dialogues two months in advance. He will give you the screenplay, the structure. Like, I knew the structure of Metro 2 well in advance. Similarly for Imli. He has mailed me the script, not the entire script but the structure and how he sees my character. So, I am very clear in my mind what he wants out of me.

“Of course there are times when he would just ask me to improvise, to see what happens and I love that process as well. I don’t like preparing too much. Once I know my character, then I am ready for anything and I can be spontaneous and react according to a situation,” Rajkummar Rao said.

Rao’s Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga will hit screens tomorrow. Also starring Sonam Kapoor, Anil Kapoor and Juhi Chawla, the film has been directed by debutante Shelly Chopra.