Anurag Basu: Katrina was supposed to do Barfi

Anurag Basu opens up about Ranbir Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Jagga Jasoos and the Kishore Kumar biopic.
Your last film, Barfi!, released two years ago…
(Interrupts) And Jagga Jasoos will hit theatres in April/May 2015. So what?
Why such long intervals between releases?
RK (Ranbir Kapoor) was committed to Bombay Velvet and Tamaasha and I had agreed to shoot in the gaps between these shoots. But post September we will go ahead full throttle and the film will be done by the year-end.
Did RK recommend Kat (Katrina Kaif) for the female lead?
No, if that were the case, she would have starred in every RK film.I’ve wanted to work with Kat for a while now. She was supposed to do Barfi!, but Ileana D’Cruz went on to do the role.
RK and Kat broke-up while shooting for Jagga Jasoos. Now, they are back together. Did their personal equation affect your shoot?
Break-ups and love stories don’t affect my shoots. When actors are with me, they just shoot my film.
READ: Katrina-Ranbir Kapoor shared a ‘honeymoon cottage’ in South Africa?
Priyanka surprised us in Barfi! with her performance. Is Kat too going to pull a rabbit out of her hat in Jagga Jasoos?
Kat will rediscover herself with this film. She had to do the action herself since she has scenes with RK who is doing the stunts himself. And she’s doing a fab job.
Govinda, who plays RK's dad, has a history of reporting late for shoots. Did that bother you?
No. It was RK’s idea to cast him. We’ve both grown up on his films. My question to RK was: Will he agree to play your father?
Bobby Jasoos took away half your title. That must have upset you...
Before we locked this title I knew Vidya had a film coming up called Bobby Jasoos. Many detective films have been made before and they’ve had jasoos in the title. No stress!
So how different is your jasoos film?
It’s not entirely in the detective space. It’s a mish-mash of many genres and RK as Jagga will bring a smile on everyone’s face.
And you and he have started a production house together…
RK and I became close friends during Barfi! and wanted to take the bond further.
ALSO READ: ​Ranbir Kapoor-Katrina Kaif: Hunting for property?
Will you do films under this banner with only RK?
Yes, but I am free to collaborate with other stars and production houses.
Next, you go into the Kishore Kumar biopic?
I don’t know. RK and I are committed to do that film but he needs to put on weight before getting into Kishoreda’s shoes. Getting his look right is going to take time. We’ll need to go into it with an undivided block of time, of atleast six months.
Have Kishore’s wife, Leena Chandarvarkar, and his sons, Amit Kumar and Sumeet Kumar, given their nod to the project?
The permission has been taken.
Disappointed because you missed the Oscar bus in Barfi!?
Oscar is not the end of the world. Barfi! got enough acclaim in many festivals which define international cinema.
WATCH: Ranbir-Katrina interview