Rachit Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; March 12, 2018)

Farhan Akhtar and Sharman Joshi have been friends since childhood. Having spent more than three decades knowing each other and being from the film fraternity, they wished that they could do a movie together. And this came true with 3 Storeys, which released last Friday. While Farhan produced the multi-layered drama, Sharman acted in one of the three stories. In a candid chat, the duo talk about finally working together and what made the movie so special.

The movie, which has been directed by Arjun Mukherjee, has received positive response from critics and the audience.

Thanking his friend, an excited Sharman says, “I’ve always wanted to work with Farhan. And finally I got the opportunity.” Farhan on the other hand, surprised and flattered by Sharman’s remark, reacts, “To begin with, I must say that Sharman is an incredible talent. There have been times when we have come very close to working together, but unfortunately, it’s not happened, because of conflicting dates and schedules. But I am really glad that it happened now. With 3 Storeys, the door has opened up and we’re hoping there is more after this.”

Sharman quickly fills in, “We have you on record now, Farhan,” to which the latter replies in jest, “I don’t speak to the press unless I know I am on record.”

Farhan was always confident that 3 Storeys, produced by his and Ritesh Sidhwani’s Excel Entertainment will receive an encouraging feedback. He says, “There was an air of intrigue and curiosity around the film. We were confident that the ones who’d go in to watch the film would love it. And we’re hoping that and eventually they’d spread the word.” He continues, “It’s a story about love and belonging. It’s set in a chawl, where even though you live in separate houses, your doors are sort of open for everyone. It’s like you are a part of a larger family, you’re constantly touching each other’s lives.” He believes the film’s human drama is what makes it amazing and relatable to the audience.” Sharman’s quick to point out that the realistic content added appeal to the story. He says, “It’s a slice of life film. The story delves into the lives of the characters and that’s what makes it most interesting.”

3 Storeys has a host of newcomers. Filmmaker Arjun (Mukerjee) makes his debut along with actors like Ankit Rathi and Aisha Ahmed. Farhan believes the ‘newcomer’ tag doesn’t matter to a film. What matters is how they perform. He explains, “Arjun is an ad filmmaker and over the last decade he’s worked on over a hundred ad films. The feature film format is completely different from what he’s being doing, yet, the detail and the nuance with which he viewed and moulded the performances of the cast was spectacular. His inputs added to the performances of the cast. New faces like Ankit and Aisha brought in a certain innocence too.” Sharman says the movie set was one of the most professional setups he has ever seen. He enjoyed the experience of working with newcomers Ankit and Aisha, as well as established co-stars like Renuka Shahane, Richa Chadha and Pulkit Samrat. He says, “It was fun to get acquainted with the roles during the workshops. The film was a difficult one to make, but Arjun and his team managed to etch out every detail so well.” The two sign off with the promise that they’ll work together again soon.