More than a decade after the release of Agent Vinod, actor Lalit Parimoo has opened up about why he believes the ambitious spy thriller failed to connect with audiences. The film, directed by Sriram Raghavan and starring Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor Khan, had generated significant buzz ahead of its 2012 release but ultimately underperformed at the box office.In a recent interview with Siddharth Kannan, Lalit claimed that excessive interference from the film’s lead stars impacted the director’s vision and affected the final outcome of the project.
‘Sriram Raghavan could not make the film the way he wanted to’
Sharing his thoughts on the film’s disappointing performance, Lalit said, “I think a main reason for the film not working out was too much interference from the stars, Saif and Kareena. Sriram Raghavan could not make the film the way he wanted to. At every step, he was told to change this or that. It turned into a hotchpotch. The film’s runtime was also longer than necessary. The writing and direction team could not present what they dreamt of. That was the flaw.”The actor suggested that the filmmaker was unable to fully execute his original creative vision, resulting in a film that lacked cohesion.
‘If they’re suggesting based on their stardom, it ruins a film’
Lalit also spoke about the importance of allowing directors to steer a project according to their vision, while acknowledging that constructive inputs from actors can be valuable.“I feel like a film is a director’s baby. So, if the director has a vision, one must go along with it. The director should also retain actors who suggest the right things. There’s no meaning to it if they’re suggesting based on their stardom. If they add value to the character, it should be included. Not because they think their footage is lessened or that some other actor is getting more. It ruins a film,” he said.
Lalit alleges interference affected the film
When asked whether Sriram Raghavan had personally discussed such concerns with him during the making of the film, Lalit said the director did not speak much about it at the time. However, he maintained that there was interference in the creative process.Agent Vinod featured Saif Ali Khan in the titular role of a RAW agent, while Kareena Kapoor Khan played ISI agent Iram Parveen Bilal, also known as Dr Ruby Mendes. Despite high expectations surrounding the project, the film failed to achieve the success many had anticipated and remains one of the most debated films in Sriram Raghavan’s career.
