'Chhorii' director hoping the film has A-listers look at the genre differently

Horror films haven't quite had a good time in Bollywood where even though we have had an array of the same coming every year, few have managed to create an impact. But that was a hope for director Vishal Furia to change the way they are perceived with his latest film, Chhorii.

In an interview with ETimes, Furia opened up on turning campfire tales into big-screen stories, how Nushrratt Bharuccha makes this story relatable, and his dream to cast Amitabh Bachchan in a film among other things.

He first said, "In India, we have always been captivated by horror stories. From grandmother tales to bonfire sessions, if someone narrates their experience, everyone has something to share. I think it is inherent to our culture and tradition to speak about horror stories and I am just trying to bring those stories to the big screen.

Chhorii is not one story but derived from many stories together. When watching the film, you will recall hearing these stories somewhere or the other."

About Bharucha as the female lead he said, "When I met Nushratt some years ago for another film, I noticed that, as an actor, she is very enthusiastic and hungry to do different roles. As a person and actor, I instantly liked her and saw that there was a lot of potential to be explored in this girl. Later, when the character was written, I could see Nushrat in it because she has such a relatable personality and girl-next-door vibe. She doesn't have these typecast heroine look and that helped the character as it helps people relate better. When people see that the person can be their neighbour or friend, then the fear becomes much more intense because you feel for the person.

Nushratt was also gracious to do this film and worked hard to give her everything. She has done a great job in the film. It even came as a surprise to me and will surprise the audience as well."

About A-listers not taking up such projects, he said, "That could be a reason. Also, actors are scared of this genre as it is a treatment-based one. In the wrong hands, the film can start looking wrong. When an actor is playing a character in a horror film, he has also to be the victim in the situation, which is not the most preferable part an actor would want to play. So the takers are fewer. If this film is liked by the audience, then I hope that bigger actors start looking at this genre."

Finally, when asked about which A-lister he would like to cast in his next horror film, he said, "The wish list is too big, but just to give a name, what if the biggest actor in the country, Mr Amitabh Bachchan would play a role in a horror film?"