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Boman Irani on reuniting with Priyadarshan after 12 years; says, He had his own group of people whom he was comfortable withBoman Irani , Reuniting , Priyadarshan , 12 Years

Priyadarshans upcoming thriller Haiwaan is among the films generating considerable anticipation ahead of its September 11 release. The dark thriller features an ensemble cast including Akshay Kumar, Saif Ali Khan, Boman Irani, Shriya Pilgaonkar and Saiyami Kher. While the trailer has already sparked interest, Boman Irani says that the perception of comedy continues to follow both him and Priyadarshan, despite the filmmaker having explored multiple genres throughout his career. The comedy stamp always chases me, Boman said during an exclusive interview with SCREEN. Boman was discussing Priyadarshans diverse body of work, which has included action, romance and drama alongside comedy. Although the filmmaker has ventured into different genres, his comic films remain among the works he is most closely associated with. The actor also opened up about his reunion with Priyadarshan after a gap of 12 years. Boman and the filmmaker had previously collaborated on the 2012 film Tezz, which also starred Ajay Devgn, Anil Kapoor and Kangana Ranaut. When asked why the duo took so long to work together again despite being described as a deadly combination of talent, Boman pointed to the filmmakers established group of collaborators. I think he had his own group of people whom he was comfortable with. Its like asking Raju Hirani, Why didnt you work with so-and-so actor? It becomes a family kind of situation, and I think thats great. But somehow, I was made to believe that I was the first choice for this role, Boman said. Haiwaan also marks the reunion of Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan on the big screen after more than three decades. The actors last appeared together in Main Khiladi Tu Anari in 1994. With Akshay portraying a dark character in the upcoming film, Boman was asked whether audiences would accept him in a different kind of role. You watch 3 Idiots. Imagine 3 Idiots was not a good movie. Think about it. What would the acceptance of a character like Virus be? They would say, Irritating. But when the movie is good, everything gets accepted. You say, Oh well, that was very interesting. It was pretty good advice. Think of Munna Bhai MBBS. Sanjay Dutt was 44 years old, hardly a college-going student. Why did they accept it? The movie was good. The story was good, said the 66-year-old actor. Boman believes the same applies to Akshay and Saifs return as co-stars. He said audiences are likely to accept them if their performances and the overall film work. But if the movie was bad, then people would have questioned, How could they have cast Sanju? But the movie was great. So, there was no question of age. Having said that, they (Akshay Kumar and Saif Ali Khan) will be accepted because they are good in the film. But the movie has to be good, and the movie is good, he concluded. Haiwaan is the official remake of Priyadarshans 2016 Malayalam film Oppam, which starred Mohanlal. Also Read : Last Man In Tower to hit theatres on September 11 starring Manoj Bajpayee, Divya Dutta and Boman Irani