Luv Ranjan, the new Midas at the box office, on why he is on a break from direction, and his first big production featuring Ajay Devgn, Tabu
Sanyukta Iyer (MUMBAI MIRROR; March 21, 2018)

Luv Ranjan is amused when he is repeatedly questioned about his casting choices. After his successful directorial debut, Pyaar Ka Punchnama, in 2011, he reunited with Kartik Aaryan and Nushrat Bharucha, along with Ishita Raj Sharma and Sonnalli Seygall, for the second instalment in the franchise and delivered another sleeper hit. His recent release, Sonu Ki Titu Ke Sweety (SKTKS), is the second biggest grosser of the year so far, second only to Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s headline-grabbing Padmaavat. The bromance, co-produced by Luv and Bhushan Kumar, has entered the Rs 100-crore club at the box-office and features Kartik as Sonu, Nushrat as Sweety and Sunny Singh as Titu and Ishita as Titu’s ex. Even Sonnalli makes a fleeting appearance as Sonu’s date. “In our industry where everybody is constantly cribbing about how we don’t give newcomers a chance, I’ve stood behind my actors for seven years. I do things on my own terms,” the newly-crowned Midas asserts, adding sheepishly, “I also end up going over-budget on all my films. Even with Kartik, Nushrat and Sunny, I spent an extra Rs 12 crore on SKTKS.”

The Ghaziabad-born writer-director, who arrived in Mumbai at age 19 in search of a big break, recalls that he was warned that his film was releasing around examination season, and with a tongue twister for a title, the project could backfire. “When I was making Pyaar Ka Punchnama, Viacom18 conducted a massive market research and told me that this was the worst title ever because no one understood it. They suggested different titles to me, but I went ahead and it led to a successful franchise. When a story works, everything works. When a trailer is good, people are bound to flock to the theatres. If SKTKS hadn’t worked, everyone would have blamed the title,” he says.

An avid Bollywood buff, Luv has enjoyed David Dhawan films as much as Sadma and Satya. He believes AkaashVani which he wrote, directed and even turned lyricist for, is his most heartfelt work yet. But the 2013 film with its strong feminist message, featuring Kartik, Nushrat and Fatima Sana Shaikh (in a cameo), was a box-office dud. He admits it was a mistake to promote it as a ‘romcom’, come up against Race 2 and indulge on the length. “But it’s because of Akaash Vani that I know how not to fail a film today,” he insists, saying he’d like to work with such stories now that he has reinvented himself as a director and can command a bigger budget to make a more commercial AkaashVani in the future. “An IIT professor from Kanpur messaged me saying that the film made her look at her troubled marriage from a new perspective,” he recalls.

The film cemented his bond, forging a successful collaboration, with producer Abhishek Pathak. “We were the only two youngsters at a mutual friend’s wedding in Himachal Pradesh and since we were both New York Film Academy alumni, we connected. I narrated the script of Akaash Vani to him and he immediately wanted to produce it,” Luv flashbacks, admitting that due to budgetary constraints, the project never took off, but a year later, Abhishek and he collaborated on Pyaar Ka Punchnama.

AkaashVani was his second film and it broke his heart when it failed, more so because both co-producer Kumar Mangat and he suffered huge losses. “I decided to be more practical and return with Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2. A franchise film seemed like a safe option,” Luv admits, revealing that he had wanted to narrate a comedy from a woman’s point of view with lots of male-bashing humour, but it was not a great time to experiment. “I will do all that in Pyaar Ka Punchnama 3,” he says, adding that he doesn’t have a script yet and isn’t planning to direct any more films this year. “Franchise films are like gulab jamuns, you need to take a break after you’ve eaten two. I am a fast writer but a slow director. I take two years to make one film, from start-to-finish, but I enjoy writing all the time,” the filmmaker reasons.

Luv is currently location-hunting in Himachal Pradesh with long-time editor Akiv Ali, who will turn director with an urban comedy that he is producing. The Ajay Devgn, Tabu and Rakul Preet Singh-starrer is the first of around five films from his slate. “The first schedule was completed in January and the project should wrap up in the next five months. The audience will see Ajay in a young romcom after years. I’ve always been a big fan of Tabu and wanted to explore her comic timing having enjoyed her turn in Biwi No 1,” he smiles. Buzz is, Ranbir Kapoor wants to collaborate with him on a romcom too? “Ranbir and I have met and want to work with each other soon. But there is no script yet,” says Luv.