Sushant Singh Rajput on Kedarnath co-star Sara Ali Khan: She kept me on my toes during the shoot

On Monday’s trailer launch event of upcoming romantic drama Kedarnath , the team talked about Sara Ali Khan’s work as a debutant, the film’s story and the hurdles the makers have faced for it see the light of day.

Kedarnath, also starring Sushant Singh Rajput, had faced multiple delays in release due to a dispute between KriArj Entertainment and director Abhishek Kapoor. The production house had eventually backed out, ending with Ronnie Screwvala coming on board. “I’m grateful to Ronnie Screwvala. I have learnt a lot from him,” said producer Pragya Kapoor.

The team praised Sara Ali Khan’s performance as a first time actor. According to Screwvala, Khan looked so experienced, he felt like she had already acted in five films. “Sara wasn’t looking for a launch film. She just wanted to be a part of the story. When I met her, I could gauge from the intensity of our conversation that she had a lot to offer to the film,” Abhishek revealed at the event.

On working with Khan, Rajput said, “One thing that every actor likes is to get surprised during the shots. Sara kept me on my toes.”

Kedarnath is a love story set against a backdrop of the floods that rwreaked havoc in Uttarakhand and other parts of India in June 2013, but left the famous Kedarnath temple unharmed. Rajput shared that while he was a man of science, he wanted to work on a film with faith as its subject because he did not think they always went diametrically opposite.

Rajput plays a pithoo (porter) who ferries people to the religious site, and Abhishek revealed that the actor pushed himself physically for the film. “Sushant actually played a pitthu on the Kedarnath Yatra. He carried a 60 kg man throughout the path.”

The film has also run into trouble as some religious outfits have claimed that the story promoted love jihad. Members of the Kedar Sabha and  BJP leader Ajendra Ajay  demanded a blanket ban on Kedarnath as it hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus.

When asked about the same, Screwvala said, “We haven’t been approached by someone. Our duty is to just get a certificate from CBFC. If someone has an issue, just like all other controversies, the issue has cropped up before they’ve even watched the film. I don’t know how they can form such an opinion based on 60 seconds of something. If they have an issue even after watching the film, we’ll be happy to receive feedback.”

Rajput also shared an update on the filming  Kizie aur Manny , which was reported to be suspended after director Mukesh Chhabra was accused of sexual harassment : “Our last schedule is supposed to take place in December in Paris. Fox is a reputed studio and they are conducting an investigation. Whatever they come up with, we’ll respect that and act accordingly.”