Director Mani Shankar Recalls Arguing With Irrfan Khan Everyday On Knock Out Sets: He Loved Story, BUT... - EXCL

Director Mani Shankar helmed Knock Out featuring an ensemble star cast including Sanjay Dutt, Irrfan Khan, Kangana Ranaut and more. The movie released in 2010, completes 14 years of its release today. On this special occasion, the movie's director Ravi Shankar shares anecdotes from the film's sets, revealing how he and Irrfan Khan had arguments on the sets every day. Read excerpts here:

How was Knockout planned, as a political thriller or a prophetic take on corruption in politics?It was a heady thought, to bring some of the stolen wealth of politicians back to India. I dreamt about it for years. Then I wrote a story about how a smart guy (Sanjay Dutt) uses every trick in the book, and then some, to make it a reality. How did Irrfan come into the picture?Irrfan Khan loved the story and his character. But we had arguments every day on sets. I began to understand this complex extremely talented man and how he needs his freedom to interpret his character. I had my constraints as half the film had already been canned by the time I started on him. Imagine my plight: most of the film revolved around phone conversations between Sanjay Dutt and Irrfan Khan. I had already shot Sanju’s part, and now Irrfan wanted to alter his lines! In the end, it came out seamless and smooth. Only me, Sanju and Irrfan knew how we stitched it back beautifully, kept the story intact and still allowed Irrfan to re-interpret his character. ALSO READ: Is it true that Akshaye Khanna was the first choice for Irrfan’s role?Akshaye was approached by the producers but I think money might have been an issue there. I really don’t know the details there. I pitched the script personally to Irrfan one afternoon near the swimming pool at Taj Lands End in Bandra. We kept drinking cold soda and talking. Irrfan loved what he heard. I think because of that money wasn’t an issue with him. 20th Century Fox sued your producers for copyright infringement?The film ran into controversies. The chief is that it was branded as plagiarised from the movie Phone Booth. In point of fact, Phone Booth, to my knowledge, and in my opinion was inspired by a movie called Liberty Stands Still. Both movies had lengthy phone conversations as its core storytelling elements. My core story was different. The phone conversations were an important element in my film and I never saw it as plagiarism at all-just a creative approach. How was Kangana Ranaut to work with?Kangana Ranaut played her role brilliantly. She knew that Sanju and Irrfan had most of the footage. I admire her for accepting the role and playing it to perfection nonetheless. She portrayed a curious inquisitive reporter who is the first to figure out the hidden truth of what’s going on. She kept the plot taut and edgy by a superb performance. Hats off to Kangana. And Dutt?Sanju was the powerhouse of Knock Out. He was the one who delivered the Knockout blow and brought back 32000 crores from a Swiss bank numbered account in two hours flat. He internalised every line every mood every subtext beautifully.I wrote in seven different characters into Sanju. Sometimes he looked like a sleazy underworld guy, sometimes like an enraged colonel on a mission, sometimes like a white collar criminal, at other times like an angry father of a girl gone missing and other personalities. Sanju had to give convincing performances and subtly portray these characters to Irrfan and keep him guessing, without making it obvious. I deeply admire Sanju for seamlessly pulling off this incredibly complex role with complete ease. I doubt if anyone else could have had the kind of presence and panache for this role. Closing thoughts?Even today, Knock Out lives up to its name. Despite so many great movies that have come since, it’s still a gripping thriller and still nationally relevant, still strikes a chord.