BACK WITH A BANG
The cast and crew of Pyaar ka Punchnaama, Kartik Aaryan, Nushrat, Sunny Nijar and director Luv Ranjan, have once again collaborated to give another blockbuster titled ‘Sonu ke Titu ki Sweety’
From Pyaar ka Punchnama to Sonu ke Titu Ki Sweety, It has been a roller coaster ride for Kartik Aaryan and Nushrat Bharucha. In a free-wheeling conversation with Syeda Eba, these youthful actors talk about the joy of collaborating once again, fun at the sets, cut-throat competition in the industry and a lot more.
Whenever we talk about Kartik Aryan, the first thing that comes to our mind is the monologue from Pyaar Ka Punchnaama. Do you think that was quite unfair on part of the audience to tag you as the ‘monologue guy’ while side-lining your entire performance in the movie?
Kartik Aaryan: Of course, I have performed quite well throughout, that’s why people are showering their love upon me (laughs); but see, every actor wants to have a highlight moment in the movie for which he could be noticed. That moment is equally essential for the film. In Pyaar
Ka Punchnaama, it was the monologue. That’s the reason I am not blaming anyone for admiring it more than any other scene. I am more than happy that I was a part of it. It was a cumulative effort of the director, writer and everybody else, which ultimately turned out so well. People crave to build up an identity in this industry, but I have been lucky in that zone. ‘Mjhe career
me pehchaan shuru me hi milgayi’. Though I had my own struggles, I won’t deny that my very first movie made me popular in a positive way.
Talking about your upcoming movie ‘Sonu ke Titu ki Sweety’, the audience is more excited to see the cast of Pyaar ka Punchnaama collaborating again, than knowing what new the movie is bringing. What do you have to say on that?
KA: We say such things in very layman’s terms. In fact, if I watch any such movie, it instantly comes out, ‘arey ye to wahi log hain na, accha unhone hi bnayi hai.’ That comes naturally. But still, I know that subconsciously it’s playing in your head and you really want to watch this movie. You want to feel the emotions that we felt throughout its making, and that’s more than enough to make me happy. I am seriously not thinking ki ‘logo ko aisa kyu lgrha hai ki punchnaama k log aagaye.
Accha ye phirse mono bolega ya nhi’ and stuff. What I am more excited about is to be a part of this project. This is just my 6th film and so it has been a very short journey for me as of now. In such a short span, seeing people have expectations from me (like Punchnama 3 kb aaegi), feels amazing. I don’t think every other actor gets questions like these. I consider it as my strength.
Nushrat, you took a leap from doing a movie like Love Sex aur Dhoka to Pyaar ka Punchnama. How was the journey?
Nusrat Bharucha: In LSD, I was part of the story that revolved around honour killing. Right after LSD, they offered me Pyaar ka Punchnaama. You can understand how the two movies are world apart. I clearly denied doing the movie but Ranjan sir didn’t really like my decision. He was like, “what? Are you mad? This is such a cool film. How can you say no to it.’ I said, ‘Sir, I hate this script. I don’t agree with this. Mjhe is film me koi bhi ladki samajh nhi aati. Forget Neha’s character, I am not going to play any role in this movie’. And I moved on in my life. But they didn’t give up on me. They hounded me, came to my aunt’s house, came to the gym, waiting to meet me. I asked, ‘why do you even want to meet me’ and he cleverly answered that ‘see, you don’t like this film. Ok fine! What if I promise you that right after this film I will do a movie you will love. And he indeed kept his promise as we worked together once again for Akash Vaani. He basically did a barter system with me.
But despite being a good movie, Akash Vani didn’t perform well at the box office. What went wrong according to you?
NB:WE released it with Race 2. What I learned after that is you should never underestimate the release date of your movie. Because if you are not going to get the screens how will people watch the film.
Was this the reason for shifting the release date of Sonu Ki Titu Ki Sweety, and saving it from any clash?
NB: After Akash Vani’s failure, we have been conscious about a lot of things that are industry driven. Like, you know that you have to turn left, but you need to make sure that you are turning to far left, close left or hard left. Agar aapne wo raasta tey nhi kara to aapko pata hi nhi chlega ki
what all to be aware of. But after we experienced a failure, we got aware of certain factors, about what to do and what not to. Even at the time of Punchnama 2, we decided a date which didn’t clash with any other film. We learned a lot through the journey and hence are better aware of the industry today.
You said you were not quite ready to do a film like ...Punchnama. What is there in your mind while you are reading a script. Also, what clicks you to say yes to a film?
NB:I think it’s the writing. When I read the film, I just can’t read the screenplay. Most of the people in Bollywood don’t want to send you a script in the first go. Either they don’t have it ready, or it’s a
Kohinoor for them which they fight hard to protect. I don’t know why.
Anyway, the screenplay doesn’t work for me because I want to know what my character is actually saying in the movie. I am the kind of person who works on instinct. When I hear what the character is saying, I automatically visualize the story. Following that, I try to figure out if I am able to feel for the character or not.i cannot play a character who just has two dialogues in the movie and is expected to stand still in the frame. For me, the writing is the strength. It’s the medium to convey the real essence.
Kartik, the kind of movies that you have done till date have been rom-coms. Do you fear to get stereotyped?
Ka:when I decided to enter the film industry, I wanted to become the biggest romantic hero. I am a die-hard fan of Akshay and Shahrukh sir. I can easily relate to their journey being an out-
sider. It’s a big box (romance genre). I’ll fill a really small space in the romantic genre if I’m stereotyped as a chocolate hero. Moreover, rom-com is one of the most popular and loved genres of our industry, so people can never have enough of it. I am again more than happy with the image of the romantic-comic hero. Because I always wanted to be one.
The kind of movies being preferred by the audiences these days is mostly content driven. How difficult do you think would it be for Sonu Ki Titu ki Sweety to appeal the audiences?
Ours is a content driven film with lots of entertainment. Humara to trailer bhi content pe chal rha hai (chuckles). Obviously it’s not a serious and message oriented film, but I won’t either call it a slapstick comedy. It’s a very real movie. Har kisi ki life me ek titu hota hai jo sonu k lie decisions leta hai like aaj dinner
kaha karenge, aaj movie kya dekhenge. People will immediately connect to the story as if it’s their own. And connectivity comes only if the content makes sense to the audience. Even if we talk of Punchnama, it was the biggest content driven drama made till date in terms of relationships. So, this one is also a complete package with every ingredient in equal proportion.
Nushrat, you have been working with Kartik and Luv Ranjan for quite a time now. How have you seen them changing professionally and personally?
Luv sir as a director has become more confident in his approach. His vision is comparatively clear, he knows what he wants to show. With Kartik, he has become a calmer person. Also, he has learned a lot, not just about acting but also about the technicalities of shooting a movie. I have seen a person, who was entirely raw and unaware of everything, growing up into such a mature and learned being.
When I decided to enter the film industry, I wanted to become the biggest romantic hero. Hence, I don’t mind getting stereotyped because this is what I always wanted to do ‘Luv sir as a director has become more confident in his approach. His vision is comparatively clear, he knows what he wants to show. As for Kartik, he has become a calmer person. Also, he has learned a lot. I have seen a person, who was entirely raw and unaware of everything, growing up into such a mature and learned being,’ reveals Nushrat Bharucha