Suniel Shetty, Akshay Kumar, Paresh Rawal and (below) Bipasha Basu in Phir Hera Pheri

Why isn?t Priyadarshan directing the sequel despite Hera Pheri becoming such a cult film?

Priyanji felt that you can?t make a sequel to a film like Hera Pheri. Then the producers looked at Satish Kaushik but he had some date problems. Then they thought since I had written both the Hera Pheri films and also had some directing experience ? Akshay Kumar-starrer Khiladi 420 and the yet-to-be-released Familywallah ? I was the best person to step in as director.

Hera Pheri in many ways revived the comedy genre in Bollywood. What do you think was the secret behind the success?

My writing was good but the way Priyanji conceived the film was tremendous. He did not take it away from life, yet kept it larger than life. People make the mistake of making comedies that are so unbelievable that people cannot identify with them. Priyanji gave a terrific perspective to the characters. Comedies are all about chakachak lighting. He went for a high contrast lighting, and brought in the poverty aspect. That made Hera Pheri so fresh amongst the kind of comedies being made then and made the characters so lovable.

After Hera Pheri, why have you and Priyadarshan failed to repeat that magic?

That?s because the audiences expected all the subsequent comedies to be like Hera Pheri. Now, every film can?t be about kidnapping, every film cannot be about financially broke people. In every film we have tried to laugh out the problems we face all the time. They may not have been big hits when they were first released, but when they came later on TV, people started loving them more and identified them as different stories. As writers and directors we have to keep experimenting and presenting different faces of life.

Now, Phir Hera Pheri being the sequel of Hera Pheri, the expectations are even greater. Will that be its undoing?

I don?t consider Phir Hera Pheri to be a sequel at all. It?s a new happening in the lives of these people. Like there were new episodes in the life of Charlie Chaplin, in the lives of Laurel Hardy, even James Bond. As for the expectations, I love it. I am not worried at all, I love challenges. If there?s no challenge, there?s no fun. At the same time I wouldn?t say that it?s no big deal. I know people won?t accept one bit less than the first film. But I promise to give them two bit better. Phir Hera Pheri is an extra-ordinarily entertaining film.

What is the adventure this time?

In the first film we showed you how these three characters played by Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal get some money. In this one, we see what they do with that money. Is the money enough? Is money the way to happiness? Phir Hera Pheri has all the answers. It has a message apart from being a comedy.

What was it like directing the cast?

It was lovely. Pareshji is, of course, a great actor and directing him is like driving a Mercedes. Even Akshay and Suniel have become such improved actors. They have been able to adopt improvisational qualities since they are no longer in awe of the very act of acting. They can now throw a dialogue casually as opposed to stressing it the way old actors used to. As for the ladies, we have gone for Bipasha Basu and Rimii. Since Phir Hera Pheri is not the second half of Hera Pheri, we didn?t have to repeat Tabu or the rest of the cast.

Neeraj Vora

Your film is coming on the same day (June 9) as Priyadarshan?s Chup Chup Ke, which you have written. Is it like fighting yourself and your mentor?

There?s no fight as such. Chup Chup Ke is a different kind of movie. It is emotional, sweeter and a romantic comedy. Phir Hera Pheri is a mad and black comedy.

What next?

I am making a romantic comedy for Balaji, the cast of which hasn?t been finalised. And my second directorial film Familywallah should release later in the year. It stars Arjun Rampal, Dia Mirza and Paresh Rawal. It is a family comedy.

Why do you only make comedies?

Because apart from comedies and romances, you get to see everything else on the news channels on TV!