EXCLUSIVE: Varun V Sharma reveals how Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s cinema inspired Parivarik ManuRanjan; adds, “Aditi Rao has surpassed our expectations…Pankaj Tripathi brings an old-world, innocent and endearing quality”
We may be living in times dominated by hyper-masculine and gory films, but the charm of a clean, feel-good entertainer never fades away. Hence, there’s hope that Parivarik ManuRanjan, which releases on Sony LIV on November 13, will spring a surprise. Starring Pankaj Tripathi and Aditi Rao Hydari, the film is directed by Varun V Sharma and produced by Ali Abbas Zafar. In an exclusive interview with Bollywood Hungama, Varun spoke about the film’s idea, its casting, the possibility of a sequel and a lot more.
Not just the casting, but even the writing of Parivarik ManuRanjan is very strong. Certain dialogues are entertaining yet thought-provoking, especially the one about alpha male and beta male…
The credit for it goes to Brijendra Kala ji. He has been a long-time friend and collaborator, and not many people know that he’s also an expert writer. Nobody has really explored that side of him. We were lucky that he came on board very early. He brought that flavour to the film.
All three of us – me, Ali sir and Kala ji – come from small towns. Kala ji belongs to Mathura; I am from Kanpur, while Ali sir grew up in Dehradun. But the credit for getting the secondary characters right goes to Kala ji.
Since there are multiple writers on the film, could you tell us who initially came up with the idea?
Ali sir and I regularly jam on various ideas. We were also working on an action film at that time. During one of our conversations, we remarked that we grew up watching films of Basu Chatterjee and Hrishikesh Mukherjee, like Khoobsurat (1980), Chupke Chupke (1975), Guddi (1971), and even films like Padosan (1968). In these films, the settings and characters were very simple. Even the conflicts were simple. Pankaj sir calls such films ‘comfort food’. When you eat dal-chawal, you feel satisfied from within. These films have a similar effect.
So, we discussed that we should also make a film in that zone. That’s how we chanced upon the one-line idea of the film. We realised that we should get Kala ji on board, as we knew that no one could be better than him at adding a quirky flavour to the story. He readily agreed, and we all worked on the subject. Then, Ali sir got busy with his upcoming directorial, Beparwah. Kala ji and I continued working on it, and finally, we were able to lock the screenplay and dialogue draft.
Were Pankaj Tripathi and Aditi Rao Hydari the original choices for the characters of Ranjan and Manu?
When we locked the script and the core group – Ali sir, Kala ji and producer Himanshu Mehra – heard it, everyone unanimously agreed that Pankaj ji suited the role to a T. Pankaj ji brings an old-world, innocent and endearing quality to his characters. That’s how he is in real life, and it reflects on camera as well. He doesn’t have to work hard to bring those qualities to life. I worked with Pankaj sir on my first film, and we have shared a good equation ever since. I narrated the story to him, and he liked it a lot. Within a week, he was on board.
As for Aditi ma’am, Ali sir suggested her name. We realized that the casting would work because Pankaj sir and Aditi ma’am seem to belong to completely different worlds. She’s regal in real life and looks that way on screen as well. Meanwhile, Pankaj ji is known for gritty and earthy cinema. Both are phenomenal actors. Hence, we thought this pairing would be very interesting and novel.
Pankaj Tripathi is perfect as Ranjan. His image is such that it’s convincing for viewers when Manu decides to stay at Dubey Niwas, even though Ranjan lives there all alone…
You’re right. In fact, Ranjan initially tells Manu that he doesn’t want to hire a woman and is even ready to reimburse her return journey. At a crucial juncture in the film, Manu tells Ranjan’s sisters, ‘Ek aurat ko mard ki nazar pata hoti hain, chahe achhi ho ya buri’. A character is just a character on paper. It comes to life when an actor plays it convincingly. I feel Pankaj ji has done full justice to the part.
Aditi Rao Hydari is adorable and plays her part to a T as well…
She is a phenomenal actress. Unki jitni taareef ki jaaye, utni kam hai. She has surpassed our expectations.
What’s next for you after this film?
I’m just waiting for the response to Parivarik ManuRanjan. I hope it gets a lot of love from the audience. Then, I’ll decide what to do next.
Can we expect a part 2 of Parivarik ManuRanjan?
Whether a film gets a part 2 or turns into a franchise is decided by market forces. If the audience accepts it wholeheartedly, the chances of a sequel will increase manifold. It’s not entirely in the hands of filmmakers to make that call. At the end of the day, the audience is king. They decide what happens next.
Parivarik ManuRanjan is skipping a theatrical release and arriving directly on OTT. How do you feel about your film not releasing on the big screen? Digital has its own charm, though…
Yes, indeed. Pankaj sir told me that he receives messages from countries like Brazil and Paraguay. Yeh woh desh hain jahaan shayad hi kabhi koi Indian film theatre mein lagi ho. Hence, OTT has tremendous reach and helps you get appreciation from far and wide.
Also, we had decided from the very beginning that Parivarik ManuRanjan would be suited for a direct-to-OTT release. Pankaj sir and Aditi ma’am have a solid audience base on digital. Hence, it would be easier to reach our target audience by releasing the film on streaming.
The post EXCLUSIVE: Varun V Sharma reveals how Hrishikesh Mukherjee’s cinema inspired Parivarik ManuRanjan; adds, “Aditi Rao has surpassed our expectations…Pankaj Tripathi brings an old-world, innocent and endearing quality” appeared first on Bollywood Hungama.