Sooraj Barjatya not keen to make sequels of his hit films

In his three decades as a filmmaker, he has directed all of six films. But, Sooraj Barjatya is in a happy space, for each one of them was received well by fans and critics alike. While he’s busy working on his seventh, the Hum Aapke Hain Koun...! (1994) filmmaker reasons why he never thought of making a sequel to any of his hit directorial projects.

“Many have told me that they would like to know what happened to Prem and Suman (Maine Pyar Kiya; 1989) or Prem and Poonam (Vivah; 2006). It feels good that people love these characters, but I never felt like making a sequel. Every story that I’ve written is complete in its own way; I don’t intend to do anything more with them,” says the filmmaker, asserting that he is somehow just not keen on taking that route.

Besides penning his next that will star Salman Khan, the director is also looking forward to the ventures that his children are busy with at the moment. While his elder son Devaansh has recently produced a family show on TV, his younger one Avnish is set to make his directorial debut later this year.

“The show that Devaansh has made is close to our hearts. Those who’ve grown up with grandparents or are growing up with them would know where I’m coming from. My father (late Rajkumar Barjatya) always wanted us to make such a show that would involve the older generation. Finally, we’re making one,” he says, adding, “Avnish is making his first film. We’re just in the process of finalising the script and then cast and crew would be finalised later. That’s also something that is keeping us occupied.”

As the conversation moves on, Barjatya reveals his plans of venturing into the web space. The filmmaker shares that he took time to explore the medium because he wanted to find the kind of stories that the audiences’ are enjoying.

“Now that we’ve got an idea, we’re ready with some exciting content. It’s a mix of a lot of things and we’re happy with what we have right now. Once we have everything in place, we’ll make an announcement,” he says.

On whether he’ll also direct for the web, Barjatya is quick to add that he is yet to decide. “It’s too early to talk about it, only time will say,” he signs off.

Now that we’ve got an idea, we’re ready with some exciting content. It’s a mix of a lot of things and we’re happy with what we have right now. Once we have everything in place, we’ll make an announcement.

SOORAJ BARJATYA DIRECTOR