NITESH TIWARI'S NEXT IS INSPIRED BY HIS COLLEGE BUDDIES

Director Nitesh Tiwari is busy with the shoot of his next directorial, Chhichhore, which he started filming in September. And much like his previous film, Dangal (2016), Chhichhore too will feature the central characters’ life in different stages — from college-going days to crossing middle-age.

In Dangal, Nitesh had captured Mahavir Singh Phogat’s (played by Aamir Khan) life spanning from his 20s till 60s. Even his children, Geeta and Babita (portrayed by Fatima Sana Shaikh and Sanya Malhotra) were shown in different time leaps.

Quiz the director if there’s a reason why characters in his stories always age, Nitesh shares, “For me, it’s always the story that dictates the journey of the characters. Since Dangal’s story was weaved through different life stages of Mahavir Singhji, it was but natural for Aamir sir to portray the same. It’s the same with Chhichhore as well. The story needs all the characters to portray two different ages.”

Doing extensive research for his films is critical for Nitesh. According to a source close to the director, the casting for this project was a big challenge, as all the characters are required to look convincing before and after the time leap.

The characters are based on real-life friends from his college days, which inspired him to give nicknames to each one of them. The film stars Sushant Singh Rajput and Shraddha Kapoor in lead roles. Nitesh shares, “Although the storyline of Chhichhore is fictional, the characters and a lot of incidents are inspired by my college life that I have lived and observed.”

PHOTO: IANS

A still from Chhichhore