'Hera Pheri made my life miserable; I hate making comedies': Priyadarshan talks changing gears with Haiwaan | Interview
Here's the latest update from the Bollywood world:
While Priyadarshan started his career in Bollywood with serious dramas, in the 2000s, he made his name as the maker of iconic comedies. It is hard to believe that Priyadarshan hates making comedies. In a candid chat with Hindustan Times ahead of the rollout of his new movie Haiwaan, the filmmaker talks about switching genres and why he does not want a ‘Priyadarshan signature’.
Adding to this, Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty and Paresh Rawal in Priyadarshan's Hera Pheri. Why Priyadarshan hates making comedies Priyadarshan’s first Hindi movie, Muskurahat, was a drama. But it was Gardish that proved to be his breakthrough in Bollywood. Virasat’s success followed, but his next few films did not quite hit the mark until 2000, with Hera Pheri . The comedy transformed his career in Hindi cinema, and also his image. “I started with serious films. Gardish worked for me, Virasat worked for me. Then Hera Pheri made my life miserable. After that, it was just comedy, comedy, and comedy. To be honest, I hate shooting comedies,” admits the filmmaker.
Meanwhile, From 2001 to 2021, Priyadarshan directed 20 Hindi films, of which 16 were comedies. Two other hits - Bhool Bhulaiyaa and Billu - also had heavy doses of comedy. His comeback to Hindi, Bhooth Bangla, rolled out earlier this year, was also a horror-comedy. In that manner, Haiwaan is a departure from what Priyadarshan has become known for in Bollywood. The filmmaker explains, “Now, I have realised I can shoot films with humour and stories that have humour, instead of just joke after joke. I try situational humour. I don’t put gags and comedy tracks. Even in comedies, I believe all my characters are serious, but people find what happens to them humorous. I don’t like actors making faces. This is the only way I know. But still, I don’t like making comedies. When you make so many films in the same genre, you need a change. A lot of directors have a signature. But I don’t want that. That’s why I tried Haiwaan, because I really enjoy making serious films.”
Notably, Haiwaan, a remake of his 2016 Malayalam movie Oppam, stars Saif Ali Khan as a blind man and Akshay Kumar as a killer. The psychological thriller also features Boman Irani, Shriya Pilgaonkar, and Saiyami Kher in pivotal roles. Boman has worked with the filmmaker before, but he says being directed by him in a thriller changed his understanding of the man’s craft. “I have worked with him on two films. Now, when I watch his films, I see the camera work and cuts, and I realise he doesn’t like the camera or audience to settle down. He gets bored himself so he doesn’t let the audience get bored. Now, I am beginning to understand his methodology. His filmmaking, blocking and staging are unique, very kinetic,” says the star.
As per the latest buzz, Directed by Priyadarshan, Haiwaan also stars Rajpal Yadav, Sharib Hashmi, Rajesh Sharma, Manoj Joshi, and Jisshu Sengupta, while Mohanlal makes a cameo appearance. It also marks the final screen appearance of the late Asrani. Produced by KVN Productions and Thespian Films, the movie will rollout in theatres on 11 September.
In further updates, Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Movie Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world. Read More
Source: Hindustan Times