It means a great deal to have someone like Salman Khan backing my film: Satish Kaushik in Lucknow

Actor-director Satish Kaushik is a busy man these days. The 'Mr India' actor has recently finished shooting his directorial venture 'Kaagaz', which has been shot in and around Lucknow and Kanpur. He is also kicked about the release of his next in which he will be seen on screen with Kangana Ranaut and Rajkummar Rao. Kaushik, who’s returned to direction after a gap of five years, says he took his time in directing a film because, "I wanted to reinvent myself as a director.The films being made these days have very interesting stories and this film Kaagaz is also one of them."
The story of 'Kaagaz' is based on the life of Lal Bihari ‘Mritak’ of Azamgarh, who was declared dead in revenue records and his property was usurped by his relatives.
"This story is very close to my heart and I wanted to share the story of Lal Bihari Mritak with the people. I wanted people to know about his struggle. A struggle of a man to prove himself alive to the government."
Satish Kaushik and (inset) the article published in LT on Wednesday, July 10, about Salman Khan producing the film (BCCL/ Vishnu Jaiswal)
The film, which stars Pankaj Tripathi and Monal Gajjar, is also being backed by Salman Khan. Talking about the 'Dabangg' actor, Satish said, "It means a great deal to have someone like Salman backing the film. He is my lucky charm. We were shooting for Bharat in Malta when Salman asked me what I was working on and when I told him about the story of my film, he was really excited and later decided to come on board. Salman has always been a warm person. I have seen him grow as an actor and its always lovely working with him."
Having shot the film entirely in and around Lucknow, Sitapur and Kanpur, Satish says he has had one of the best shoots in these places. "We mostly shot the film in a small village near Biswa, Sitapur district. It was one of the best experiences I have had while shooting. It makes me so happy to see that there’s still so much innocence left in villages. It was wonderful shooting there. Also, I believe I was lucky to have shot in pleasant weather," said he.
After having earned accolades for his acting in Bharat, Kaushik is now kicked about his next 'Judgementall Hai Kya'. In the film, Kaushik plays a cop who tries to solve the mystery in the Kangana Ranaut and Rajkummar Rao-starrer. "The role I have played in this film is very different from the ones I have played in the past. It’s an important role and I’m very happy to be a part of it," he shared.
Satish Kaushik (BCCL/ Vishnu Jaiswal)
Adding further he said, "These days scripts aren’t that repetitive and so the roles are getting more and more challenging. My role in this film is subtle and different from other humorous roles I have played in the past."
We asked the actor about the name change of the film and he commented, "If the earlier name hurts the sentiments of a community, we understand that. Although, I feel it doesn’t really make much of a difference to the film. It is, however, the freedom of a director to choose/select a name for his project."
-Yashi Agarwal