Amitabh Bachchan in a still from Wazir.
Filmmaker Vidhu Vinod Chopra said that
Wazir was titled as 'Chess' when he had written the first draft of the film.
"Vidhu Vinod Chopra was going to direct this film in Hollywood. For four years, we wrote the script that he wanted to direct. Right now, he liked Bejoy Nambiar's work and showed him the scripts that we had. Bejoy picked this one (
Wazir) and he sat with him for two years, adapting it in Hindi," Abhijat told PTI.
"It was originally conceived on September 11, 1988 and that is when I read this piece of news. It is at that time when I wrote the first draft and it was called 'Chess.' Then I met writer Abhijat Joshi in 1994 and discussed this with him," added Mr Chopra.
Abhijat also said that Mr Chopra has developed the original script of
Wazir.
"He developed the script of
Wazir. The film has been changed completely from that point onwards. And that was the trigger. He introduced the theme of chess. A sportsman's murder is something that interested him at that time. Six years later he told me about the idea. The first time I met him was in 1994. He told me about two chess players and a thriller and I liked the idea," added Abhijat.
Wazir stars Amitabh Bachchan, Farhan Akhtar and Aditi Rao Hydari in pivotal roles. (Also Read:
Amitabh Bachchan Says Wazir Role Was 'Physically Challenging')
"Both Farhan and Mr Bachchan agreed to do the film after reading the English script and then we adapted and casted the actors. When the Hindi version was directed, we knew who is going to act. This is the first time that Farhan is doing action," said Mr Chopra.
Wazir is scheduled to release on January 8.