Abhishek would love to work with John again
The success of Parmanu came as a relief for filmmaker Abhishek Sharma. His last two films, The Shaukeens (2014) and Tere Bin Laden: Dead or Alive (2016), failed to get a good response. So, a lot was riding high on this film, which narrated the story of the nuclear test that was conducted secretly in Pokhran, Rajasthan, by the Indian army in 1998.
Talking about what worked, Abhishek says that it has to be the story. “The fact that people are liking the film [both in India and few places abroad] makes us really happy. To find out what’s working and what’s not, I have watched the film in 20 different theatres and had requested my crew and cast to do the same. We enjoyed the rushes; at the same time it also helped us understand the areas that could have been better. Parmanu is my first drama. Before this, I have done only comedy for the big screen,” says the director, who made his Bollywood debut with the Tere Bin Laden in 2010. Along with good reaction, Parmanu also received criticism.
“I am not new to the world of critics. So I do take a note of constructive criticism because there is always scope for improvement. I believe when there are so many films releasing in a year, keeping the audience entertained is not a cakewalk. So if Parmanu has, at least, reached out to even a section, it’s immensely satisfying,” he adds.
Having worked with John Abraham for the first time, Abhishek only has good thing to say about the actor, who also produced the film.
“John is extremely sincere both as an actor and a producer. He is more into action and comedy, so drama is not something most people can connect him with. John did everything to make the role (a bureaucrat) convincing. He really worked hard for it and deserves all the praises that he is getting. He is one of my favourite actors, someone I would love to work with, again and again,” he signs off.