Siddharth Anand, the director of the 2019 blockbuster "War," starring Hrithik Roshan and Tiger Shroff, has revealed that the film almost didn't happen. In a recent interview, Anand shared that casting Tiger Shroff was crucial to the film's realization, and had Shroff declined the role, Anand was prepared to scrap the entire project.
"War" is an action thriller that revolves around an Indian RAW agent, Kabir (Hrithik Roshan), who goes rogue, prompting the agency to task his former student, Khalid (Tiger Shroff), with eliminating him. The film, produced by Yash Raj Films, was a major box office success, lauded for its high-octane action sequences, visuals, and the performances of its lead actors. Vaani Kapoor and Ashutosh Rana also played pivotal roles in the movie.
Anand disclosed that Hrithik Roshan was his first choice for the lead role, given their prior successful collaboration on "Bang Bang!". After Hrithik agreed to star in "War," Anand knew that Tiger Shroff was the only actor who could play the role of his protégé. According to an interview with PTI, Anand stated, "The first choice was Hrithik because we share a great equation. Post Bang Bang!, I've been writing something for him. Fortunately for me, he loved the script. I knew, if Hrithik is in the film, the protégé can be no one else but Tiger.”
Anand's vision for "War" heavily relied on the dynamic and chemistry between Hrithik and Tiger. He envisioned Tiger as the ideal protégé, someone who respected and was inspired by his mentor, mirroring their real-life relationship. Anand felt that the audience already perceived Tiger as Hrithik's protégé, making it easier to establish their on-screen relationship.
The director admitted that he was ready to abandon the film if Tiger hadn't accepted the role. "If Tiger hadn't done the film, it would be tough for me to make this film. I may have just scrapped the idea to rewrite something else. There is nobody who could replace Tiger in the film,” Anand said. He was so convinced that Tiger was irreplaceable that he didn't consider any other actors for the role.
Anand also shared the inspiration behind "War," revealing that he conceived the idea during his travels between 2015 and 2016. Intrigued by spy thrillers, he immersed himself in books by top novelists, which sparked his imagination and led to the film's concept. He said, “During 2015-2016, I traveled a lot and was intrigued by the genre of spy thrillers and I picked up a lot of books of top novelists. The idea of the film came from there... It opened my imagination to conflicts, characterization, drama, and plot points.”
The success of "War" has led to a sequel, "War 2," which is scheduled to be released on August 14, 2025. While Hrithik Roshan will return, Tiger Shroff will not be part of the sequel. "War 2" is directed by Ayan Mukerji and will feature Jr NTR and Kiara Advani in lead roles alongside Hrithik.
