More than a decade after the release of the Agent Vinod starrer Lalit Parimoo explains that he believes the ambitious spy thriller failed to connect with audiences. Film, director Sriram Raghavan and protagonist Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor KhanIt created a lot of buzz before its 2012 release, but ultimately underperformed at the box office.In a recent interview with Siddharth Kannan, Lalit said that the excessive interference of the film’s lead stars affected the director’s vision and the final outcome of the project.
“Sriram Raghavan could not make the film the way he wanted”
Sharing his thoughts on the film’s disappointing performance, Lalit said, “I think a major reason why the film didn’t work was too much interference from the stars, Saif and Kareena. Sriram Raghavan couldn’t make the film the way he wanted. At each step, he was told to change this or that. It became a hotchpotch. The duration of the film was also longer than it should have been. The writing and directing team could not present what they dreamed of. That was the mistake.”The actor suggested that the filmmaker was unable to fully realize his original creative vision, resulting in a film that lacked cohesion.
“If they suggest it based on its stars, it ruins a movie”
Lalit also spoke about the importance of allowing managers to drive a project according to their vision, while recognizing that constructive input from stakeholders can be valuable.“I feel that a film is the director’s baby. So if the director has a vision, one should go with it. The director should also retain actors who suggest the right things. There is no point in suggesting them based on their stardom. If they add value to the character, they should be included. Not because they think their footage is reduced or because they think some other actor is doing more,” he said.
Lalit has alleged that the interference affected the film
On whether Sriram Raghavan had personally discussed his concerns with him while making the film, Lalit said the director did not speak much about it then. However, he maintained that there was interference in the creative process.While Agent Vinod featured Saif Ali Khan in the role of a RAW agent kareena kapoor Khan played ISI agent Iram Parveen Bilal, also known as Dr. Ruby Mendes. Despite high expectations surrounding the project, the film did not achieve the success many expected and remains one of the most controversial films of Sriram Raghavan’s career.
