Showing posts with label Raaj Shaandilyaa interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Raaj Shaandilyaa interview. Show all posts
Raaj Shaandilyaa reacts to Nushrratt Bharuccha’s statement that she was ‘hurt’ about not being cast in Dream Girl 2
10:08 AM
Onkar Kulkarni (BOMBAY TIMES; April 18, 2025)
In a recent interview, Nushrratt Bharrucha spoke about being replaced by Ananya Panday in Dream Girl 2 (2023) and admitted that she was hurt by the move.
The actress, who had featured in Dream Girl (2019), said, “It hurt me even more when I was not a part of my own sequel. Every other actor was the same, except the girl, which I felt was not cool na, guys? Theek hai, no problem. I can’t fight something I know is not going to change. What do I fight? They’ll say, ‘We don’t want you.’ That’s the truth of it. Eventually, it’s a choice somebody’s making. I cannot question your choice.”
When we reached out to the director, Raaj Shaandilyaa, he presented his explanation for choosing Ananya for the film.
‘Dream Girl 2 was not a sequel, but a franchise film’
Talking about why certain cast members, including Ayushmann Khurrana, Manjot Singh and Annu Kapoor, were repeated in Dream Girl 2, Raaj Shaandilyaa said, “Dream Girl 2 was not a sequel, but a franchise film. If it were a sequel, then Nushrratt would have been cast in the film. Dream Girl’s story ended when Ayushmann and Nushrratt’s characters united. We wanted to narrate a different story, and so we took the plot ahead with the core characters played by Ayushmann, Manjot and Annu Kapoor, and we cast Ananya in it.”
‘Jab hum third part banayenge, we will cast a new girl in it’
Ask him if Nushrratt ever expressed her disappointment, and he said, “Nushrratt once asked me why she wasn’t a part of Dream Girl 2, and I gave her the same explanation. I told her that according to the story, we wanted a new girl.”
He added, “There’s no room for disappointment because jab hum third part banayenge, we’ll cast a new girl in it. Usme Ananya nahi hogi, koi aur hogi.”
‘Purani baatein chhodo, next film ki taiyyari karte hai’
Raaj also says that he wishes to do more films with Nushrratt, who is a “dear friend,” and so, they should put all of this behind them and move on. “I am producing a new film and approaching Nushrratt for it. I enjoy working with her. I would just like to tell her that purani baatein chhodo, next film ki taiyyari karte hai. I think an actor should be prepared to deal with all this because our industry is like this, where stories and characters keep changing. You won’t know ki end moment tak kya hoga… sometimes we face date issues, sometimes the commercials don’t work out. Ab purani baatein chhodo, aage badhte hai.”
Bhumi Pednekar Janhvi Kapoor, Shraddha Kapoor, Nushrratt Bharuccha considered for Vicky Aur Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video
3:07 PM
Raaj Shaadilyaa blends middle-class humour with small-town charm for Vicky Aur Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video, starring Rajkummar and Triptii
Priyanka Sharma (MID-DAY; September 29, 2024)
Filmmaker Raaj Shaandilyaa shot Vicky Aur Vidya Ka Woh Wala Video with Rajkummar Rao and Triptii Dimri in January, and come October, he is set to release it on the big screen. But the journey on the comedy began seven years ago when the director-writer wrote a script about a couple’s private video going viral.
“While doing Dream Girl [2019], I started thinking about my next. Since Rajkummar was busy, I thought about finishing Dream Girl 2 first. In the meantime, I kept updating the script, and finally, we were ready to roll with it,” shares Shaandilyaa, who had gotten his leading man’s approval even before he fleshed out the material.
To the filmmaker, the idea of people’s personal lives going public spelled both comedy and tragedy. He says, “The idea was that a huge population of our country is coy, yet children are born every second. We are living in a world where any video can go viral within seconds. So, we decided to make a film for the middle class that has a message with a lot of humour and romance. I also wanted to explore the plight of the people at whose expense we laugh. [At the same time], we wanted to explore how people from small towns facing this dilemma would feel.”
Shaandilyaa wanted a fresh face opposite Rao. “We considered Nushrratt [Bharuccha], Janhvi [Kapoor], and Bhumi [Pednekar], but Raj had worked with all of them. We had also thought of Shraddha [Kapoor] but Raj was doing Stree 2 with her. Then we thought of trying Tripti. I had watched her previous work and knew she was a good actor.”
While Dimri was locked for the role, the director wrote another, keeping Mallika Sherawat in mind. “Mallika was surprised that I had thought of her. She loved the narration and said that she was waiting for someone to offer her a [strong and fun] character like that,” he adds.
Comedy is a tough genre not only because it’s difficult to make people laugh but also because filmmakers run the risk of upsetting people. The director, however, is clear that there is a difference between “mazak karna aur udana [to joke and make fun of]”.
“When I am writing, I am conscious that it should be something that the majority enjoys and no one should get hurt.” Having said that, he is also aware that in his line of work, he cannot please everyone.
Ayushmann Khurrana’s body language is better than most actors-Raaj Shaandilyaa
8:21 AM
Dhaval Roy (DNA; September 7, 2019)
At the moment, Raaj Shaandilyaa is living the dream. The screenplay and dialogue writer’s maiden directorial venture, Dream Girl, is up for release. It stars the current hot property Ayushmann Khurrana and its trailer has won big-time praises. “I’ve written a few films for other directors and now I’m on the other side, so, I’m excited,” says Raaj, whose repertoire includes writing scripts for Comedy Circus and The Kapil Sharma Show on the tube, dialogue of Welcome Back (2015) and Jabariya Jodi this year among others. For the nouveau director, Ayushmann was the only choice for the role. “Had he turned down the offer, I’d have cast a new guy in the role. But when I gave him the narration, he said yes immediately,” says Raaj. Over to him for more…
How long have you toyed with the idea of Dream Girl?
I was writing the dialogue of Welcome Back when my co-writer Nirmaan D Singh and I came up with the concept. When I used to browse Facebook, I got to know about Angel Priya — guys who create fake IDs and flirt with other men. We discussed the concept, but I didn’t get the time to work on it. Finally, when I was freer in 2017, we started writing it.
Have you ever chatted with Angel Priya?
(Laughs) Yes, I have, once. I’ve always been interested in talking to people, knowing and making observations about them for character sketches. So, we chatted for about 25 minutes. Then he told me, ‘main toh sirf timepass kar raha tha. Lekin aap itni achhi baatein sikhaa rahe hain mujhe.’ Also, I have friends who become Angel Priya just to have fun.
Why were you so resolute about casting Ayushmann?
I wanted a guy who could pull off a woman’s body language and would sound convincing with a girl’s voice. When I watched Vicky Donor (2012) and Shubh Mangal Saavdhan (2017), I realised Ayushmann’s body language is better than most actors’ today. His understanding of comedy is also impeccable.
He’s also one of the most sought after actors today. That should benefit your debut…
Success for me would be if people like the film. There are many projects that are not commercially successful but are made well. I think this is a completely different character for Ayushmann and people are going to love it. It’s a simple film and it will do good business.
Ayushmann is also teaming up with Annu Kapoor after Vicky Donor…
Annu ji is such a great actor and it was amazing to see them working together again. I wanted someone who would understand and master the dialect of Mathura and I could only see Annu ji doing this role. When I narrated the script to him, he agreed to do it because it’s a different and good role. Then when he got to know that it’s with Ayushmann, he got more excited.
You have established yourself as a comic screenplay and dialogue writer. What took direction so long?
In fact, I have turned director sooner than I intended. I was planning to debut only in 2020. I’ve wanted to direct for a while and it just happened that while writing the script, my co-writers suggested I helm it. Everything happens when it has to — there is no such thing as too early or too late. This just worked out on its own.
Do you plan to stick to comedies on the big screen?
No, my next few projects are romantic, drama and even thriller. My upcoming film won’t be a hardcore comedy. I want to do something unique but not completely unusual.
Who are the other Bollywood actors you’d like to cast?
I wrote Dream Girl with Ayushmann in mind but my future scripts are such that I will cast whoever suits the character. It has nothing to do with a star or a newcomer.
Getting men to dress like women is nothing new-Raaj Shaandilyaa
8:14 AM
Debutant director Raaj Shaandilyaa on getting Ayushmann Khurrana to cross-dress and dub in a female voice in his comedy of errors
Avinash Lohana (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 26, 2019)
After writing dialogue for films like Welcome Back, Freaky Ali and Bhaiaji Superhit, Raaj Shaandilyaa is all set to make his directorial debut with the Ayushmann Khurrana and Nushrat Bharucha-starrer Dream Girl. In the comedy-of-errors, everyone is smitten by ‘Dream Girl’ Pooja and her mesmerising voice which leads to a series of crazy situations. Prod Raaj on his decision to rope in Ayushmann to play Karm/Pooja, and he reveals that the actor was always his first choice. “Pooja is a part of the film, but she isn’t the real character. Dream Girl is the story of a boy who speaks in a woman’s voice. When we approached Ayushmann, he loved the story and immediately agreed to be a part of the film,” he says.The debutante director goes on to add that he found his muse in people who make fake IDs to interact with strangers online. “When I was in college, a social networking site had become very popular and I noticed that one of my friends would keep talking to someone on it for hours. When I prodded him, he said, ‘Ek ladki hai, badi acchhi baatein karti hai.’ I encouraged him to meet when he did, he was shoc discover that the ‘girl’ he talking to turned out to b a guy. In our film, Ayushmann’s character also finds himself in a sticky situation, though not on the social media,” he says.
Raaj has earlier written several episodes of the TV show Comedy Circus and has made Kapil Sharma, Krushna Abhishek and Sudesh Lehri crossdress. “Getting men to dress up like women is nothing new, especially in smaller cities where it is common during the Ram Leela. In Comedy Circus, we didn’t make them speak in female voices because that platform was different but once, we draped Krushna in a saree. During the performance, it kept coming off and we incorporated that in the act with him managing the saree while simultaneously delivering his punches. It was hilarious,” he laughs.In the film he had to push the envelope further with Ayushmann dubbing for Pooja herself. “Earlier the plan was to get his lines dubbed by a lady but the voice was sounding too natural, so we did some voice modulation sessions with Ayushmann and he got it bang on,” the director beams.
Film writer Raaj Shaandilyaa to bring in more laughs in The Kapil Sharma Show
8:00 AM
Natasha Coutinho (MUMBAI MIRROR; August 7, 2017)
Shaandilyaa admitted to Mirror that after Sunil, Ali Asgar and the creative team moved to rival shows and Kapil's health became a concern, he got a called from Kapil and his team asking if he'd join them. “I have worked with Kapil in the past so I decided to go for it,“ says Shaandilyaa, acknowledging that he has been roped in for the gags that had gone missing in some recent episodes. “The madness and energy is missing. We are not changing the format but we will be introducing new gags and faces in upcoming episodes. We are also getting some of the popular characters back. Kapil will now play Mr Arora, Sittu and Gattu.“
The writer continues to back Kapil who he asserts has been a champion since The Great Indian Laughter Challenge. “After Johnny Lever and Raju Shrivastav, he's the only comedian to have a show named after him. He always keeps himself updated with what is happening and that is important,“ says Shandilyaa.
What about competition from Krushna's show? “They could be competing with us, we are not competing with anybody. Many shows have come and gone but Kapil show is still on. I have worked with Krushna too, for me both Kapil and Krushna are alike. If it were a different channel it would be a different,“ he signs off.
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