Celebrated filmmaker Sooraj Barjatya ventures into the streaming space with Bada Naam Karenge. The SonyLIV series, which embodies the milieu and characters that the man behind films like Maine Pyar Kiya, Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! and Vivah, among many others, is known for, has already found favour with the audience. t2 caught up with Barjatya for a chat on his latest offering and more.

In the streaming era of thrills and chills, Bada Naam Karenge is a clutter-breaker, focusing on family and friendship...

I am very happy with the feedback. People are liking that it is fresh. Everyone is saying that this kind of content is needed. Post the pandemic, I had a lot of people telling me: ‘Why don’t you do something on television? We are not very comfortable with the kind of shows being made, especially with the new generation having access to the firestick.’

I understand that the genres of thriller and crime are favoured by the young audience. But there are other generations who also watch content. I think there is a big requirement for sadgi (simplicity). A lot of credit for this show goes to SonyLIV... it is their confidence in this kind of content that propelled the show. They called me and said: ‘We want a Rajshri (Productions) show on our platform. We want to bring the Hum Saath Saath Hain, the Vivah audience here, with a younger voice.’ They wanted to broaden their audience base and have the whole family watch a show together. With OTT, what has happened is that different family members watch different things in their separate rooms. We wanted to make a show that brings them all together in front of the TV. We came across this story and were were fascinated by it. That is how it took off and now after two-and-a-half years, it is on air.

How do you hold on to what you are known for — simplicity, emphasis on values, the family viewing experience — and yet contemporise it to what audiences want?

Honestly, this is the world that we know, this is the kind of storytelling we are good at. Every day, I meet at least five-six people who want to know when the next Rajshri project will release. We have all kinds of content now. But if there is crime (content), there should also be something for families.

When I make movies, I don’t try to impress or to cater to any age group. I didn’t do it at the time of Maine Pyar Kiya (1989) and I didn’t do it during Uunchai (2022). If I try to impress the audience, I will contaminate it. I try to be sincere to my subject, knowing that jisko dekhna hain, woh aayega. I feel so happy when I see a youngster come to the theatre to watch my film with their daddy and mummy or dadaji and dadiji... it fills me with so much joy. For Bada Naam Karenge, nothing will give me more happiness than getting to know that a youngster has taken a subscription of SonyLIV to watch the show with their grandparents.

I don’t try to contemporise. But yes, I am now inviting younger directors, younger makers — my son (Avnish) is also a director — to take the Rajshri world beyond my world, to make it much more youngster-oriented, to see if they can bring a broader horizon to it. I am open to a fresh take. This web series essentially belongs to the director, Palash (Vashwani), who has come from the world of Gullak. He has presented the boy-girl conflicts in a humorous way, in a bhola (innocent) way.

Gullak is another clutter-breaker that has sustained its popularity across seasons...

Yes, my whole pitch to him as a showrunner was to present the vibe of Hum Saath Saath Hain and Vivah, but in his own way. I am happy he adopted my world and gave his own base. My main point to him was that we don’t need to glamourise... let us show a Bharat ka boy who is scared to lie to his parents. Even if he lies, he is filled with immense guilt. The simplicity and purity Palash has been able to maintain has been the best thing about this show.

When the younger audience speaks to you about your work, which films of yours do they bring up consistently?

One is Hum Aapke Hain Koun...! Wherever I go, that film always comes up. Another film that people have seen across generations is Hum Saath Saath Hain. But I am very surprised when people say they have watched Vivah many times. When Vivah released, it didn’t do well in the big cities, but it did work in the smaller towns. We did a silver jubilee in 135 towns at that time, but smaller towns. So when I find today’s generation saying that they love the simplicity of that film, it makes me wonder that how have they watched it. Every year, our film industry produces thousands of movies, and yet they know me for this film which was made close to 20 years ago.

The popularity of Vivah is what made us want to make Bada Naam Karenge. Essentially, it is about a boy and a girl who come to Bombay, get to know each other and then they go back and find they are being told to see each other in an arranged marriage format. Now their dilemma is... how much do they tell and how much do they hide to find peace? Shaadi sab karte hain lekin agni ke phero se nikal ke jo rishta nibhaate hain, that is vivah.

Has there ever been the thought of directing a thriller or an action film, apart from what you are known for?

Our banner has made 60 films till now and we have tried everything. We have made action and thriller films. But somehow, those films have never worked... maybe we were not able to make them well enough. The ones which have worked have all been about family values, aesthetically strong musicals.... Even if they have been set in a village, they have worked.

But we are trying to push the boundaries. My son made Dono (starring Rajveer Deol and Paloma Thakeria) and I am happy he has a voice of his own. I wish the youngsters make films like Raju (Rajkumar Hirani) is doing today... saying contemporary things but sticking to his humour and his style. And OTT has given us such a big space to be in now.

Is there a film or a show that you watched recently and liked?

I try to see almost all movies. And I watch them in theatres because that is where you get to see the audiences.... I make it a point to see all the family films that come out or the family shows in Hindi because that is my weakness. I am the first person to compliment anyone whose work I really like. I really, really loved Badhaai Ho. I have seen it many times and I keep messaging Amit (Ravindernath Sharma, director), saying: ‘Please make another one.’

A good film is like therapy. I have had people come to me in the theatres and say: ‘When we watch your films, our BP (blood pressure) goes down.’ Outside a theatre showing Vivah, a Muslim lady lifted her hijab for a few seconds and told me: ‘Thank you for this film’, and put it down. And I thought... what kind of trust is this for a woman to share her honour like this just to compliment me? These are the joys that one lives for.

What films are you making next? There are a lot of conflicting reports...

I am starting a film in September-October. It will be announced this month. It is not with Salman bhai (Khan)... my project with him is going to take a little more time because I need to create a character that suits his age. I am looking forward to cracking it nicely. In the meantime, I am making a smaller film, a very interesting film, which I just spoke about.

Speaking of Salman, what do you think makes him the eternal Prem for audiences?

I wrote the character of Prem as that of a family boy who is simple, lives with his family, feels for others. When I went to Salman bhai, he put in his perspective, which is the fun element... it had a certain naughtiness, was maybe even a flirt. That is how this character was created and has been loved over the years.