Rachit Gupta (BOMBAY TIMES; April 11, 2018)

Riteish Deshmukh has a busy year ahead, with two Bollywood films lined up for release. He says, “I’m working on Total Dhamaal and Housefull 4. The previous installments of both these films have fared well and hence, expectations are already high. So, there is a lot of pressure.”

Having said that, Riteish also believes that any film with strong content, if released at the right time, will do well. It really doesn’t matter if they are part of a popular franchise. “The genre of the film could make a difference to its box-office prospects. Comedies like Total Dhamaal and Housefull 4 have a better chance to succeed, but at the end of the day, it’s about getting your content and release date right. If those parameters are in place, the film will work well,” he says.

That’s not all. Riteish Deshmukh, who made his debut in Marathi cinema with Lai Bhaari in 2014, is all set for his second outing in the language. Riteish will soon begin work on Mauli, which was first announced in 2015. The film, however, was later put on the back burner because of creative issues.

The actor, who is also an acclaimed producer in Marathi film industry, says, “Mauli is going on floors soon. Sometimes, what happens after a success like Lai Bhaari is that one tries too hard to figure out what one wants to do next. You have already set a benchmark and you don’t want to slip. But then, it doesn’t always work out the way you planned. Fortunately, in Mauli’s case, we got the film back on track.”

Mauli, an action drama directed by Aditya Sarpotdar and written by Kshitij Patwardhan, will be produced by Riteish’s production house, Mumbai Film Company.