Priya Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; June 16, 2014)

Most of us would assume that after delivering the superhit Aashiqui 2, Ekta Kapoor would have signed Mohit Suri to direct Ek Villain. I was surprised to find out the real story from Mohit.

“I made a film called Awarapan in 2007, whose trailer Ekta saw and liked and she messaged me saying, `We have to work together.' Awarapan had released with Himesh Reshammiya's big hit Aap Kaa Surroor and got crushed and was a declared flop. I genuinely believed in Awarapan and was most heartbroken. I wanted to avoid meeting people and was sitting in my car on the back road of Lokhandwala, depressed. And there I see Ekta Kapoor jogging on the road through my side mirror. I didn't have a driver at that time and was sitting on the driver's seat. Trying to avoid her, I turned my face away because having given a flop, I thought she would want to avoid me. After a flop, you want to hide and duck from everyone and didn't want to make it uncomfortable for her or me. But as luck would have it, a branch falls on her just when she is next to my window. She turned to see who had thrown the branch at her and she looked at me. And she immediately said, `Mohit I saw Awarapan and I loved it. It's such a good film.' I, of course, assumed that she was just trying to be nice to a flop director.

Later on, when I came to know her, I realised that she is not a person who would do that and in reality, she has always just had that faith in me and always remained in touch. Much before Aashiqui 2, she would always tell me that, `I know you are meant for bigger things.' Technically, she signed me for Ek Villain after Crook had flopped.

Throughout the making of Aashiqui 2, there was a time when I was having a casting issue and every single person had actually told me to work with Emraan Hashmi again as he is a musical hero and everybody advised me that taking Emraan would make the brand bigger. But it was only Ekta who despite the fact that she works with and likes Emraan a lot said to me, `I think Aashiqui 2 should be made with new people.
You will come into your own with this film.' And she was right. Actually, to come to think of it Ekta has been the only person in my life who has never lost faith in me ever."