When it released in February, Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety became an instant hit, bringing in audiences in hordes. The Luv Ranjan film starring Kartik Aaryan, Nushrat Bharucha and Sunny Singh is one of the biggest earners of the year, scoring Rs 150- crore on a Rs 30-crore budget. The laugh riot premieres on Indian TV this Sunday (8pm on Sony MAX) and t2 caught up with Nushrat, who played the “anti-heroine” Sweety for a chat.
While you were making the film, did you ever think it would become so big?
We had a standard joke on set where if we wanted to order coffee, it would be nothing less than Starbucks; we would order food from the most posh restaurants. So much so that Ankur (Garg, producer) and Luv Sir (Ranjan, director) would laugh and say, ‘Mangao mangao, hum badi picture bana rahein hain!’ (Laughs) We had no idea it was going to do these numbers, but on set, we always believed that we were making a big film.
When the film started doing well within the first weekend, it was very overwhelming. It’s very tough to make audiences watch your film the first time — people either wait for it to come on TV or they have snippets of it circulating on phones. I know some people who have just watched the monologue (delivered by Kartik Aaryan) and not either of the Pyaar Ka Punchnama films! (Laughs) To see people going in for repeat viewings of Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety was unreal.
What do you think worked for the film?
For me, the hero of the film was the writing. It wasn’t a dialogue-heavy script… these are conversations that normal people have on a daily basis. It didn’t have slapstick humour, but it wasn’t a dark comedy either… it was a middle path where the humour was very subtle and yet effective.
Do you remember any memorable feedback that came your way for Sweety?
In the Pyaar Ka Punchnama films, I felt people loved the films but were really annoyed with my characters… these nagging women I played. I never got the love that I wanted from the audience. In SKTKS, even though I played the villain, she’s not annoying or nagging. So people actually liked my character, even though it was kind of negative.
Did you have any misgivings about playing Sweety?
I thought it was a very interesting role to play. I would rather do this than play a girl who just smiles in the frame and looks pretty. It’s very rare you get such parts where you are able to break the mould. It was not the typical love triangle where the girl is crying because she has to choose between the two men. In fact, it’s the boy (Titu, played by Sunny Singh) who cries when Sweety asks him to choose between her and Sonu (Kartik). I feel that Sweety is not really negative… she’s just real and practical. The audience didn’t hate me because I didn’t play a vamp or a bitch.
How has life changed post the success of the film?
I have always done very few films. But, of course, I have more options to choose from now. The intent has always been to do something interesting and different. For me, the script of a film will always be of paramount importance. Then, of course, filmmaking being a collaborative effort, the team making a film is also important to me.
Given that you have played grey characters in almost all your films, have you faced the danger of typecasting?
Well, I did play the same kind of character in the two Pyaar Ka Punchnama films, but the same director cast me in Akash Vani where I had a positive role. I feel that we need to take a cue from Hollywood where Tom Hardy can be cast as Bane (in The Dark Knight Returns) and also plays a hero. We need to segregate an actor from the character. We are still not open to seeing the same actor playing different parts.
With this film giving you overnight success, how much do you miss the regular life?
You know, I still go out for my pani puris. My biggest advantage is that I blend into the crowd easily and it takes people a while to connect that I am Nushrat Bharucha. I wear sunglasses and a scarf and I make sure I have my pani puri. And if someone asks for a selfie, I don’t refuse.
