In the last 11 years, Shashank Khaitan has made a name for himself thanks to his cent per cent track record and for delivering highly entertaining and mainstream films. Bollywood Hungama exclusively met him two days before the release of Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari. In an exclusive interview, the filmmaker talked about his much-awaited romcom, the process of making such films, censor cuts, release issues and a lot more.
EXCLUSIVE: Shashank Khaitan promises that Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari will make audiences laugh as well leave them teary-eyed; BREAKS silence on censoring of kissing scene and screen sharing issues: “Even we knew that kattne waala hai but it was a FUN censor screening; trying to get the fairest distribution deal”
How does it feel to have a theatrical release after 7 years? Your last film in cinemas was Dhadak (2018)…
(Smiles) Really? It’s been 7 years? I produced several films in between and hence, I didn’t get the feeling. Its only when you said it now that I realized. But it’s exciting that I am returning to theatres with Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari. It’s a mazedaar genre and I love making films in this space. I enjoyed working with my actors. Moreover, we are releasing our film on Dussehra. Hence, everything is aligning well. Our goal is to create a sweet film that entertains the audience. Hopefully, there would be a lot of laughter in cinemas. Bahut mazaa hoga aur end mein kuch aansoo mein bhi honge!
While growing up, we used to watch multi-genre films. We used to experience a lot of emotions while watching those movies. That’s what the attempt is with this film.
Do you think these films which you saw while growing up are now paying you dividends, especially in today’s times when there’s a demand for mainstream films that can work in classes as well as the masses? Earlier, multiplex films could prove to be profitable, but it’s not the same anymore…
I feel a filmmaker should be authentic and should not worry about the demand. There might be demand for something and you might be incapable of doing it. It’s important to know who you are and what excites you. It is very important for filmmakers to delve into a film that will keep them passionate about it until the very last day. If I start working on a film because of market demands or because yeh genre chal raha hai, I’ll lose interest in it myself very early. And if you lose interest, you’ll never end up being loyal to your film eventually. Hence, we need to choose stories that’ll continue to excite us. One day before the release, if I am still thinking ‘Kaash maine yeh kar diya hota’ or ‘Woh kar diya hota’, that means I am still excited about that movie.
Also, I don’t think that kisi bhi genre ka time aaya hai ya gaya hai. Good films will work while poorly made films won’t work.
Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari is about lovers taking revenge. Also, the title is a tongue twister, on the lines of Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety (2018). These two factors gave me a feeling that your film belongs to the Luv Ranjan space. Your thoughts?
I didn’t really think of it. I am always being told that my titles are longer! As for this title, I was chasing something that has a nice rhyming scheme and can work for a romantic entertainer. But now that you are saying, main soch raha hoon (smiles). I would love to ask Luv Ranjan what he has to say.
At the trailer launch, you revealed how it’s important to rehearse for comedy scenes to get the timing right. But has it happened that you shot a scene which you felt was correct, but during the edit, it didn’t seem to have the same impact?
Very rarely do we shoot a scene that is 100% bang-on. There are scenes that are 90% perfect and then there are scenes that reach 110%. Ultimately, you are dealing with human beings. You have written it with a certain imagination. At times, it comes out better than how you envisaged and at times, it doesn’t land as intended. There are also instances when it lands exactly how you visualized. That struggle goes on. You find to enhance the beautiful and you find ways to help what is struggling and make it survive.
In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Akshay Oberoi revealed that after the end of the shoot of the Holi song ‘Panwadi’, all the actors attacked you with colours and water…
(Laughs) I knew that was going to happen. Isliye, uss din main apni sabse purani T-shirt aur shoes pehen ke gaya tha (laughs). Nevertheless, it proves how much fun we all had making the film. We were like a family and we cared about each other. That camaraderie is shining through when people see the promos of the film.
Akshay Oberoi also said that you were on the list of filmmakers he wanted to work with…
It’s always validating to know that you have done good work. I am appreciative of anyone who says it but that’s not something I take very seriously. When you make a film, you need to be honest to the story and collaborate with like-minded people. If you come across an actor who wishes to work with you, it just shows that you need to have more responsibility, as people have expectations of you. It motivates me to go back to the basics and continue working hard, as I don’t want to ever have false expectations from myself and let myself down, and similarly let people down in the process.
There are reports that Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari is facing issues in getting sufficient screens. What’s the latest update?
I also genuinely don’t know. Our distribution team, led by Bhumika Tewari, is working towards it. We are trying to get the fairest deal for the movie and we hope that we can get the maximum screen count. Its going decently well and I think we should be okay. I also hope both Kantara and Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari do well.
It was reported recently that the Censors cut the kissing scene by 60%. How do you react to such cuts?
Even we are aware that woh kattne waala hai! So, it’s not a big deal. However, it was a very easy and a fun Censor screening for us. Luckily, my films haven’t faced much of a problem ever. My films usually have been passed with U/A. And the U/A rating comes up because when you dabble in comedy, you end up writing certain stuff that the CBFC members feel that yeh film parents ke saath dekhe toh accha hai. But it’s a U/A 13+; so, it’s fine. If I want a ‘U’ certificate, toh mujhe bahut kaatni padegi! Anyway, I don’t think certification guarantees anything. Animal received an ‘A’ rating and it killed it.
What next?
I’ll be announcing my next directorial soon. Unfortunately, I can’t do it immediately. We’ll have to wait for some time.
You had an entertaining cameo in your last directorial, Govinda Naam Mera (2022). Have you acted in Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari as well?
(Laughs) No. Acting ho gaya mera. Jitni acting karni thi, maine kar li!
What would you do on October 2, the day Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari will be released in cinemas?
We will go on theatre rounds and see how people are reacting. It’s always good to know so that it gives you an understanding of whether people are reacting to it well.
More Pages: Sunny Sanskari Ki Tulsi Kumari Box Office Collection
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