Come April 10 and the blockbuster combination of actor Akshay Kumar and director Priyadarshan will collaborate for their seventh project with Bhooth Bangla. The horror comedy with a difference also brings together a rich ensemble cast, including Tabu, Jisshu Sengupta, Paresh Rawal, Wamiqa Gabbi, Mithila Palkar, Rajpal Yadav and the late Asrani. t2 recently chatted with veteran filmmaker Priyadarshan on his first film with Akshay in 16 years, how Bhooth Bangla elevates the horror-comedy genre and why he doesn’t want to work with his actor-daughter Kalyani Priyadarshan.
What was the starting point of Bhooth Bangla?
A lot of people think I wrote the story, but that is not correct. The script came to me — it was written by someone else — and when I heard it, I thought that there was scope to develop it. I worked on the writing with Rohan Shankar, who has also written Saiyaara. Once the script was done, we had a certain cast in mind, but we didn’t know who should play the second character after the lead (Akshay Kumar). It is then that we approached Jisshu Sengupta. He plays a very important character in this film.
Bhooth Bangla has you and Akshay Kumar reuniting after a gap of 16 years. What was it like on set this time?
The gap doesn’t make any difference because when you do so much work with somebody, like Akshay and I have done, it feels seamless. In the interim, I was mostly directing films in the south — I didn’t work in Hindi cinema for about 10 years — and so we didn’t get a chance to work together. Then, all of a sudden, when the right film came along so many years after Khatta Meetha (2010) , we said: “Okay, let’s try it again.”
Is there any specific reason why you didn’t make a Hindi film for so long?
I had a lot of commitments in the south, which I constantly kept working on. I was working across industries — Tamil, Kannada, Telugu, Malayalam.... Also, as one ages, the pace of work tends to become relatively slow, you also need to spend more time conceptualising and creating a project.
After collaborating on seven films, do you and Akshay have a shorthand on set?
We do understand each other very well. Even though we didn’t work together for so long, we would meet very regularly. I have done the maximum number of Hindi films with him and we are very comfortable with each other. Right now, we are no longer just director and actor... we are close friends.
You did horror comedy before anyone else, but the genre, though largely successful, now stands the risk of being overcrowded. How does one make a horror comedy like Bhooth Bangla in a market like this and keep it fresh and exciting for the viewer?
I am the one who actually started this genre. After that, so many people have ventured into it and we have had very successful films like Stree. When Bhooth Bangla came my way, I thought: “Okay, let me try it again and see if something new can be done.” Bhooth Bangla is a fantasy and is rooted in the belief in black magic and other similar things that we have in so many parts of the country. There are many people who believe strongly in various practices, especially in the rural areas. I was interested in Bhooth Bangla because it gave me an opportunity to make a horror comedy as a fantasy. That is why I said that when I first heard the story, I realised the potential to make something different even within the horror-comedy genre.
What went into picking the strong ensemble cast in Bhooth Bangla? You reunite with actors like Tabu, Rajpal Yadav, Asrani and Paresh Rawal, while Wamiqa Gabbi and Mithila Palkar are the new entrants into the Priyadarshan fold....
We completed the film and Asrani passed away. He has contributed richly to Bhooth Bangla. We will really miss him. Among the people I was working with the first time, because of my seniority, they all were equally excited to work with me. As I said, it was a pleasure working with Jisshu Sengupta, as well as with Rajesh Sharma.
My sets are always very relaxed, there is never a tense moment. As a director, I don’t have the habit of shouting at the people who work with me. So things flowed smoothly with the ensemble cast, as well as the other people who worked in this film.
Have you always been like this on set?
When I am on set, I largely concentrate on how my scenes are working out and that is the only tension I have. But all of that stays within me, I never show it to anyone. It is the sort of creative tension that any filmmaker goes through. Apart from that, I am a very easy man to handle.
Forty-five years of making films later, what kind of mindspace are you in now as a creative force?
I never planned anything in my life or career. I have always believed that let the ball roll as long as it can roll. The going has been good so far and I have directed 98 films in five languages. Maybe two or three films later, I may decide that I don’t want to work anymore. But if something exciting comes up, I may keep continuing for several more years. Right now, as a filmmaker, I am very content. I don’t think I could ask more from God.
Is there a genre that you haven’t done much in and would like to attempt?
I have made films in almost every genre. So many years ago, I made period films like Kaalapani (1996) and Kanchivaram (2008), that won National Awards. I have made comedy, horror, romance, horror comedy.... One thing that I haven’t attempted much is a travel film. I would perhaps like to make one.
Many directors have a signature genre, but I have always resisted that. I have always been a good audience of cinema myself and have never thought: “Only this genre will work, only that kind of film will be accepted.” If I got excited about a genre or a subject, I went ahead and did it. There is hardly anything left in my bucket list.
Are you a big consumer of cinema?
Whenever I watch a film, I make sure to see it in the theatres. I recently caught Mohanlal’s Thudarum and I really enjoyed watching it. It is a very, very interesting film.
Will we be seeing you work with your daughter Kalyani Priyadarshan anytime soon?
No.
That is a straight no?
Yes. Let her be a daughter to me more than anything else.
She had a huge breakthrough with Lokah last year. You must be immensely proud of her...
Yes, definitely. She is doing her job, I am doing my job. At home, we don’t discuss cinema, we largely talk about things that concern our family, our relationships and our friends. Her kind of cinema is very different from mine.
There has been so much talk about Hera Pheri 3. It has faced a roadblock several times even after being announced. What is the status now?
I can’t really comment on it. There are some legalities that need to be looked into.
My favourite Priyadarshan film is... Tell t2@abp.in