'Mahavatar' a huge responsibility for me: 'Stree' director Amar Kaushik on Vicky Kaushal starrer

Mumbai, Oct 23 (PTI) "Stree" director Amar Kaushik says his upcoming mythological film "Mahavatar" with Vicky Kaushal is a huge responsibility and a story that he wanted to explore for a long time.

The director, who is also heavily involved in shaping up the horror universe in Dinesh Vijan's Maddock Films, said the prep for "Mahavatar" is on and the team is working on costumes and sets. He will start shooting the film next year.

"This film is a very big responsibility for me in my career. It has come from God because this character has been with me since childhood. We used to live next to the Parashuram Kund in Arunachal Pradesh and every few days, we would visit that. This was the ritual at our home...Whenever I used to go there, I would get very fascinated," Kaushik told PTI in an interview.

Though he always wanted to make this story, the director said he was also scared.

"I didn't know how to make it because it needed money and VFX. I also wanted to ensure that it is true to the vision I had in my mind... I'm very excited to work with Vicky. Whenever I meet him, I see a lot of purity in him. He is the best person to portray this character. We will shoot this next year, we are waiting for Vicky to come. Then, he will do the prep," Kaushik said said.

The filmmaker's next project as a producer is "Shakti Shalini", the upcoming movie in the horror-comedy universe comprising films like "Stree", "Bhediya", "Stree 2", "Munjya" and recently released "Thamma". "Saiyaara" star Aneet Padda plays the lead in "Shakti Shalini".

Would he like to step outside of the Maddock horror-comedy universe to direct other kind of stories? The filmmaker said he would love to make a thriller and a romantic film.

"That's why I am working on 'Mahavatar" and that's why I directed 'Bala'. I am producing other films as well. But I cannot leave the (horror-comedy) universe because people have showered so much love on it. I cannot ignore that responsibility. As a director I want to do so many things but I cannot leave the universe. I have to keep it safe. It has been eight years, I want to keep working till 80," he said, referring to his 2018 debut with "Stree". PTI KKP BK BK BK