Mohit Suri has been a part of the ‘reckless’ hippie world as a young boy

Titas Chowdhury

With his next release, Mohit Suri is collaborating with actor Aditya Roy Kapur for the second time. The filmmaker hopes that Malang repeats the success of Aashiqui 2 (2013). Being the captain of the ship,ensuring a hit for his actors is important, he says. “I want this film to do well for Adi so that he gets his own ground, he finds himself like a hero and sheds his jacket off like a hippie. I also owe a hit to Kunal (Kemmu). He was the boy I launched. He’s tired of hearing that he is an underrated actor. He keeps saying, “If you feel I am underrated, give me that level of success.” And he deserves it. He’s one of the best actors I have worked with,” he says.

Mohit says the movie is inspired by the days he used to spend in Goa as a young boy. “Aditya and I both have been a part of the hippie world at some point in our lives when we were younger and irresponsible. I had gone to my cousin’s wedding in Goa and we saw a young couple pass by on a motorbike. My cousin laughed and asked me if I would allow my daughter, Devi, to come to Goa and do the reckless things that one did. It made me wonder that there could have been some mishap considering the rash things that we did,” he says. He explains that the film portrays how the youth live life from one high to another in current times, heedless of the consequences.

The Murder 2 (2011) director says that he had no concrete plans of directing films until he did a summer job with filmmaker Vikram Bhatt. “Vikram is not a part of my family but he has taught me the language of cinema. I assisted him in Kasoor (2001) and Raaz (2002). I was just 17 and it was my way of earning pocket money during summer break. I went to my uncle, Mr (Mahesh) Bhatt and asked him for a job. Vikram was very supportive.”

And what does Mohit think about his own brand of cinema? “I am happy making movies. I am happiest when I’m on a set. I started at 17 and now I am 38. I wouldn’t want my life to be any other way. A brand is what other people make of you and I want to live up to what they say,” Mohit says.

The youth live life from one high to another in current times, heedless of the consequences. That’s what the film portrays. MOHIT SURI FILMMAKER

Mohit Suri had no plans of directing films until he did a summer job with Vikram Bhatt