Believe it or not but it was Dimple Kapadia who played a good role in Fugly coming into existence. While filmmaker Kabir Sadanand had the script in place for quite some time and was hunting for just the right makers to get it on floors, it was Dimple who formed a connect between Kabir and her son-in-law Akshay Kumar, who eventually went on to back the film.
"Dimple and Kabir go back a long way, courtesy the film Tum Milo Toh Sahi that they had done way back in 2010. It didn't do great business at the box office but performances by Dimple and her co-star Nana Patekar were much appreciated. Moreover, those who saw the film found it to be a good sensitive affair. Dimple never forgot that and was in constant touch with Kabir," informs our source.
A couple of years later when Kabir was ready with Fugly, he shared it with Dimple. Though there was no role that deemed fit for the veteran actress in this out and out youthful affair, she made sure to drop in a word to Akshay.
"Well, Dimple is like family," says Kabir, "Tum Milo Toh Sahi may not have done well commercially but it got us a lot of respect. It was appreciated and I and Dimple went on to be good friends over a period of time. I continued to share my scripts with her and Fugly was one of those that truly impressed her."
She insisted that Kabir reads out his script to Akshay and once that happened, the actor-producer was more than happy to back this one up under his banner Grazing Goat Pictures which has traditionally been aiming to promote unique and truly different affairs.
"I am glad I made this film with Akshay," smiles Kabir, "He is a hands-on producer and knows anything and everything that is being made by his team. However, he does not intrude at all and is not an interfering sorts either. He respects your space as a director. Of course before the film went on floors, he did insist that I make it much more commercial and entertaining. He was so right as the new draft of the script was all the more enjoyable. However once things were on paper and actors finalized, the shooting schedule went off as a breeze."
One of the fondest memories that Kabir has about the making of the film is the likeness that Akshay developed for the film's music.
"I am told that right through the year gone by; he used to play the music of Fugly in his car while commuting between work and office. That's always a great feeling," he says.
Well, he knows for sure whom to ultimately thank after all.