"He (Arjun) is my favourite actor. I find a rare quality in him. I feel he has a face that has a character and has the aura of a star like Amitabh Bachchan, Toshiro Mifune and Marcello Mastroianni. I find those faces interesting," Sabharwal said.
The filmmaker has spoken to producer Adtiya Chopra about his next, in which he wants to cast the 27-year-old 'Ishaqzaade' actor.
"That is something that Adi and me have discussed. Once we are free from this film then we will think about that. No this film is not in the space of action-thriller. Its something that I had written before 'Aurangzeb' and that was written keeping in mind Arjun," he added.
Sabharwal was keen to have Arjun in 'Aurangzeb' and was quite elated when the actor agreed to do the movie. It will see Arjun in a double role for the first time. "I wanted him to do the film.
So I explored the opportunity with him to see if he would be equally excited to do this project as I am. Thankfully he was," he said. The film has an ensemble cast including Rishi Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Deepti Naval, Amrita Singh, South actor Prithviraj.
"We had all the veterans like Rishi Kapoor, Deepti Naval, Amrita Singh, Jackie Shroff and others coming in. They all agreed as they were excited about their roles respectively and it was something that they had not done in the past," Sabharwal said.
The director says it was not difficult to convince the actors. "It was just about narrating them the story correctly. You could tell them the story in the quickest gist possible and if that excites them then nothing like it. I think I am lucky to have got them all," he said.
Releasing on May 17, the film also stars Sasha Agha, daughter of Pakistani Singer Salma Agha. "We required a girl who could play the part of getting stuck between two people. She showed excitement towards the film. The film required a brave girl and she fit the bill," the director said.
