Naveen Andrews, the popular actor from the cult television show 'Lost' plays Hasnat Khan, the Pakistani heart surgeon in the much-anticipated love story Diana.
Hasnat was Diana’s on-off lover for the bulk of her last two years. He was devoted to his medical career and extensive charity work when he met Princess Diana in Brompton Hospital. He has since spoken little to the media, only publicly acknowledging his near-marriage to Diana at Lord Justice Scott Baker’s inquest into her death.
For Naveen Andrews, who takes on the role, unveiling their hidden romance was irresistible. He sat down to discuss his latest role and playing a romantic lead. The movie releases on Nov. 1st in North America.
“To find out that Diana was such a soulful, unusual spirit was something very surprising — to see her as a real human in all her insecurities and flaws and also all the strengths and special qualities I wouldn’t have been aware of otherwise. Then, when I met (director) Oliver Hirschbiegel, I could see he had a grasp of the more spiritual side of Diana – an awareness that suffuses his vision of the love story and the piece as a whole," says the British born actor.
Considering the public pressure and paparazzi spotlight on the relationship, the movie focuses on the harrowing insights of their private life and romance.
Andrews also became enamoured of the Diana he uncovered in the screenplay.
The film is written by playwright Stephen Jeffreys, adapted from the book Diana: Her Last Love by Kate Snell, and directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel, the German who made the brilliant Hitler film Downfall (2004).
Hirschbiegel notes that Andrews was the first actor he thought about when reading the script. "I thought back to The English Patient, because I so admire the love story between Naveen and Juliette Binoche and it touched me really deeply. I thought to myself, 'I need that guy.'”
Andrews has garnered praise from the British Media where the movie premiered in September, as Stephen Jeffreys, the screenwriter had said that Khan was the hardest part to write. All of which might have given him a rather difficult job.
“I’ve been wanting to do very pure love story for a long time. The script reminded me of David Lean's Brief Encounter in that it is a very pure and simple story of two people who come together and find a connection that turns out to be impossible,” he says.
“Naveen got to the essence of Hasnat entirely, capturing his charm, sensitivity and joie de vivre,” says producer Robert Bernstein.
Though Khan himself resists publicity and was not involved in the production, Naveen Andrews was grateful to connect with several people who know or knew the heart surgeon to garner further insight. Through them, he was able to get a deeper feel for the man. The few pieces of footage that existed, particularly an interview from years ago, were also very helpful to him.
“There’s something reassuringly old-fashioned about him,” Andrews observes. “You don’t really see that kind of man on screen much anymore; he has a macho strain, but there’s no real neurosis to him. Above all, I learned that Hasnat was utterly dedicated to his vocation as a heart surgeon.”
“I think for him, it was a violation the way the press became involved,” Andrews says. “It made everything between them impossible.”
Naomi Watts declined the role twice before accepting it. Like Watts, Andrews felt the weight of playing a real person, indeed a man still trying to lead a private life in the world right now.
“With any piece of art, there’s always a worry about depicting living people,” he concludes. “I did have two concerns. But I have to say that I found what we did very respectful to both of them, as people. And I hope this is the story Diana and Hasnat would have wanted to tell."
Tweet us your comments on the interview.
Source: Boxofficeguru.com
Feature Image and other images:2013 Entertainment One Films US
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