Directed by Ritesh Menon, Cukkad Family is a Crazy comedy that tells the tale of a dysfunctional family. When the patriarch of the family goes into coma for the third time, his children -who had gone their separate ways -return to the house, albeit motivated by greed. Shilpa Shukla and Swanand Kirkire play siblings Archana and Pawan, who are constantly at loggerheads in this film, produced by Prakash Jha. The film also features Kushal Punjabi and Siddharth Sharma.

Interestingly, Swanand and Shilpa have been friends since Hazaaron Khwaishein Aisi in which he was an assistant director and she played a small role. The composer-lyricist-singer says, “When I saw Shilpa walk in for the narration, I knew she was the right actress to play Archana. We greeted each other with a hug.“ Admitting that he'd often seek Shilpa's help during the shoot, he adds, “She has grown as an actress and this is my first big role. So, I'd often ask her if I was doing the scene right.“

Ironically, Shilpa feels that their off-screen camaraderie helped in playing warring siblings. “There were scenes where we had to pull each other's hair while fighting. That's where knowing each other helped. We were so engrossed in the scene that people around wondered if we were seriously fighting,“ she states.

Echoing the thought, Swanand adds, “While shooting for the climax too, our equation not only helped us improvise the sequence, but we also got the shot right in one take itself.“

Crazy Cukkad Family, produced by Prakash Jha Productions, releases January 16.