Artists now have more platforms than they did earlier, feels Atul

He’s directing a full-fledged commercial film for the first time, yet when you talk to him, he exhibits the confidence of a veteran. Atul Manjrekar was quite sorted in his head about how Fanney Khan — his upcoming film starring Anil Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Rajkummar Rao —should have shaped up.

“It’s a musical. In the 1980s90s, there were a lot of talented people who could sing, dance or act, but there weren’t much opportunities. It was only in the 2000s that reality shows came in. Now, if you are a singer, you will definitely get a chance to show your talent to the world. If not at a talent show, then you can make a video of yourself and post it on YouTube! There wasn’t all this before. Also, at a certain age, sabki shaadi ho jaati hai, and in search of a stable job, the artist inside you can’t grow or shine,” he says.

Anil was always Atul’s first choice to play the role of Prashant, a musician. “I have to thank Rakeysh (Omprakash Mehra) sir for this. I assisted him on Aks (2001) and Rang De Basanti (2006). He called me one day to ask if I would like to direct a feature film, and offered me Fanney Khan. Anil sir liked the film, and decided to co-produce it. I came in later,” says Atul.

The film tackles a very crucial issue of body-shaming in today’s time. The character Prashant’s daughter (played by Pihu Sand) is a good singer like her dad, but is overweight. For this, she is ridiculed by people. Atul says, “For me, the whole film is about appearances. In fact, even Baby Singh (played by Aishwarya) is judged just by her appearance. When I was writing this character, the first line I wrote was ‘she is the most beautiful woman in the country’, but she’s on the other side of the extreme.”

PHOTO: MANOJ VERMA/HT Yami was in the Capital to walk at the recentlyconcluded India Couture Fashion Week

PHOTO: AMAL KS/HT Director Atul Manjrekar’s upcoming film, Fanney Khan, is a musical