Koel Mullick

2008 could well be the year of comedies in Tollywood, with The Bong Connection showing ’em how to laugh all the way to the bank.

While Bong Connection maker Anjan Dutt is busy with the fun-on-the-road movie Chalo Let’s Go, Kaushik Ganguly is returning to the floors after a three-year gap with a love story laced with laughs.

Kaushik’s Brake Fail is about a bunch of garage mechanics, starring Parambrata as Siddhartha, Saswata Chatterjee as Shanti, Clayton Rodgers as Tommy, newcomer Taranga as Goja and Anu Kapoor as Papaji, the owner of the garage. Koel Mullick plays Rupa, opposite Parambrata.

“Things go horribly wrong at the garage one morning and Papaji chalks a way out. But the plan lands all six in hilarious situations,” says Kaushik.

Brake Fail is a dramatic departure from the maker’s last film. Shunya e Buke, released in 2005, used the plight of a flat-chested woman to make a statement.

“After Shunya e Buke, I wanted to do something different. I grew up watching comedies of Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Brake Fail is a tribute to him. Also, as a director I wanted to explore comedy, which I find very challenging,” says Kaushik.

“The success of The Bong Connection has shown that comedy has takers not just among the multiplex crowd but also in the suburbs,” he adds.

Kaushik

Koel, who will have a “never-seen-before look, without make-up yet very glamorous”, is juggling dates to play a part in Brake Fail.

“I liked the character of Rupa. It’s hilarious. She is Muslim but pretends to be Hindu. Later, she pretends to be a rich man’s daughter. I will surely do the film if I can adjust my dates,” she says.

Brake Fail is one among the slew of low-budget films to be produced by Chivach Media, a sister concern of Moxie Entertainments that had financed The Bong Connection.

“Brake Fail is a comedy of errors. It’s a feel-good film for the young and old. Chivach Media has a host of such projects in the pipeline,” says executive producer Arindam Sil, who will be seen in the film as a police inspector.

Finding a producer for Brake Fail was tough for Kaushik. “I was ready with the script of Sir after Shunya e Buke but couldn’t find a producer. Then I chose to make the mega serial Chorabali, after which I wrote the script of Brake Fail and sat on it for almost nine months looking for a producer,” says Kaushik.

Neel Dutt will compose six songs for Brake Fail, including a baul track.

Kaushik starts shooting from February 2. Calcutta apart, he will roam pockets of Jhargram and Bolpur.