Nitesh Tiwari admits that his friends from IIT, who stood by him through thick and thin, inspired his Sushant Singh Rajput-starrer
Himesh Mankad (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 5, 2019)

It’s no secret that Nitesh Tiwari’s upcoming directorial, Chhichhore, is inspired by his own life as a student at IIT Powai. One of the film’s sub-plots revolves around the rivalry between batchmates Sushant Singh Rajput and Prateik Babbar who reside in the campus hostel. “There will always be students competing for prestige and the sub-plot comes from the healthy rivalry between students. It helps you discover yourself and prepare for your life ahead,” asserts the filmmaker.

The film’s story starts off in the 1990s and flashforwards to the present day. According to the director, the challenge here was changing the body language of his protagonists to match their on-screen age. “Sushant is from an engineering backdrop in real life and brought his own experiences into the role of the student. He adapted well to both phases,” shares Nitesh, nostalgic about the four years he spent at IIT and a firm believer in the idea that it could make for an engaging story.

Bollywood hasn’t really tapped into college dramas, except for Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, 3 Idiots and Student of The Year to name a few. Was this playing on his mind, one wonders, and Nitesh explains, “My loyalties are always with the story and I felt that this one needs to be told. So, I went with it to Sajid sir (producer Sajid Nadiadwala) and he loved the idea.”

Sajid was discussing three-four scripts when Nitesh came to him with a one-liner and that got them started on Chhichhore. “The topic of college life made me give the nod instantly since it’s an important part of all our lives and so the connect is instant. Nitesh had some actors in mind, and most of them matched those on my list, so the cast was decided mutually during the scripting and narrations,” Sajid smiles.

Since the film celebrates friendship, the makers kicked off their campaign on Sunday with Nitesh exulting, “There was no Friendship Day back then, every day was Friendship Day for us. We’d pull each other’s leg, then lend a helping hand when in trouble. Those friends have stood by me through thick and thin.”