Before presenting the latest film featuring Deepika Padukone, Hrithik Roshan, and
Anil Kapoor
, titled 'Fighter,'
Siddharth Anand
had previously directed a release that marked Shah Rukh Khan's return to the big screen in a substantial role after a prolonged absence. In an exclusive conversation with ETimes, Siddharth Anand discussed the self-imposed pressure he believes brings out his best work. He also shared his sense of responsibility towards Shah Rukh Khan's
fans
, who had been eagerly awaiting their superstar's return to theaters after a four-year hiatus with the film '
Pathaan
.'
When asked how much pressure he felt while directing 'Fighter' as compared to working on 'Pathaan' that marked
SRK's comeback
film, Siddharth said, "I think I love putting too much pressure on myself. I am very harsh on myself when I take on these challenges and pressures. I think I thrive on them, and I think that brings out the best in me."
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"Secondly, Mr. Khan has been there, entrenched in our hearts and minds, and he has been working with the top filmmakers in the country all throughout. Even as I was talking to him, he was the biggest film maker in the country, so he had gone nowhere. First of all, my only responsibility was that he was coming back into theatre after 4 years. That was the only responsibility that I had that people would be looking at, with a lot of expectations, so that was a responsibility, and I think I enjoyed the challenge. I actually really pushed myself. I do that every time, but in that film, it was a responsibility towards somebody else. Always, it's for me to deliver, but I just wanted his fans to rejoice when he comes back, so I think I owed it to the billions of people, billions of his fans, more than anybody else, and I enjoyed that."
"I am glad that I made 'Fighter', I beat myself up to think about how I took up this challenge to make a film like this. I think I am very proud of a film like The Fighter. I am proud of the team, including Ajit and everyone at Viacom, to back this vision, you know, and with the sole purpose of delivering a film that India can stand tall and feel proud of," he explained.
English (US) ·