No, Bhumi, no. Don’t misbehave. Don't be jealous. I will not say quiet
How did it happen? That’s what I am trying to tell you
Don’t call it sex comedy, call it coming of age.
Hi guys this is Himesh and welcome to Pinkvilla. Today we
have with us the actor and the director of the upcoming film,
Badhaai Do. Welcome to Pinkvilla guys
Thank you so much. Thank you so much.
Harsh, you want to say something? Thank you
Why so soft? Where is the energy? Energy. Thank you, yeah.
So, you know if I’m not wrong but Badhaai Do was announced on the day Badhaai Ho won a
national award, that was the day when it was announced the film
Yes, I don't know.
Yes, yes. Because I had written it back then the article with the official announcement so
Yeah, wow. Okay, great. That's a great coincidence
So, it's a good coincidence.
Yes, you are very energetic today.
We are trying because we are doing this since morning
So, my question is for how long have you been working on this subject?
Long, very long. 2018 and before that I entered the film in 2018 before that Akshat and
Suman were the writers of the film, they had written the story
so it was yeah much before Badhaai Ho also
Okay. So, was it always meant to be Badhaai Do or was it like
an independent script and eventually it developed into?
There was no title earlier as such. It was a working title but when I think when Junglee came
on board and they thought you know it fits right into that franchise, it's a different story,
different character, different maker but they thought it fits right into that trajectory of what
about what Badhaai Ho was. The complexities and the humor so they thought of
calling it Badhaai Do. But can I ask him one question I always wanted to ask him? Yes
I wanted to ask you that why did Akshat and Auman reached out to you?
As a maker. What happened 7 years ago that lets find Harshvardhan Kulkarni for this story
Hunter was such a funny film
So, I wanted to ask, why did they think of you?
I think you'll have to call up Akshat and find out
How did it happen? That’s what I am trying to tell you
So essentially, he was writing for Junglee pictures. So, it is a sanctioned film from Junglee.
Akshat and Suman were writing for Junglee and they approached me whether you
would be interested in doing this that's how I got involved
So, you knew Akshat and Suman?
No. I think they were also like you are lovers of Hunter. They thought
You were the right guy for this
Yeah, and actually Hunter came, I think it was much ahead of its time when it came. It has
over the years got a lot of appreciation from the youth actually for the kind of
treatment. So, do you believe it was ahead of its time firstly?
No. A lot of youth even then appreciated it. So many saw it in the pirated version and they
were all going to exams and they just watched it on their laptops so yeah, I have I mean ahead
of its times me I think it's lived a long life. It's still relevant and people still talk about it and it
did touch upon a lot of youngsters, a lot of people from my generation also because it's
supposed to be even nostalgia. It's not just for youngsters so a lot of people identified with
that film and till date so I think any film if it has long legs and can be remembered and
not forgotten in just one or two years, I think that's what is the beauty of it. If you can achieve
it which is what we hope this also
And Raj for you, you know what was your first reaction like when the script came to you and
how did you react when you got to know that it's going to be
a part of this Badhaai Ho franchisee?
Well, that decision was taken later. I did the script of before that, I loved the script. I’ve
always known him since Hunter days and I knew that he was a very sensible maker and be
great for him to direct this, be a lot of fun to work with him, under him so it's great team and
then Bhumi was also there so I thought you know it's just looks like a great team and Junglee
and me, I had an association with them with Bareilly Ki Barfi as well so I thought everything
was there, all the tick marks were there so that's the reason I said yes.
Correct. And when it was decided to name it Badhaai Do,
what were the discussions like at that point of time for the film?
Nothing. I think we all were happy about it
Yeah. But does that add any sort of baggage on the film because you know Badhaai Ho is a
national award-winning film. It has done so well at the box office, TV, OTT
The times are different now. You know these are the new, there's a new world we're living
in. So now there's no point of comparing the box office of that time to this time. So, I think
it's a new normal, these are new, there will be new numbers now which will be as per Covid
times but we are very, very proud of the film. We have seen the film, a lot of people have also
seen the film and they only have really good things to say about the film so we are very
hopeful that this will also connect with a lot of people out there.
Correct. And it's a theatrical release and you know when the announcement was made a lot
of people were like this came out of nowhere because there were so many films we have
spoken about and then came Badhaai Do which is opening the theater and this is the second
time for you that after a wave, it's your film that's coming. What do you have to say about this
of you know being the opener in this front? Last year it was Roohi, now it's
I think it's just a mere coincidence. Luckily Roohi did well at the box office also for
Covid times and we're very hopeful about but I do. Also, again as I said earlier, I’ve been
saying it repeatedly but I’m very, very proud of the film I love Badhaai Do. It's one of my
most special films of my career and now we're keeping our
fingers’ crossed, 11th Feb is right down the corner
Yeah. And Harsh, what were you up to for these seven years
because you know you have from Hunter till now it has been so long?
Where were you? What were you doing?
I was thinking that what should I do and that took 7 years. Jokes apart, I mean I was looking for something that
could excite me and I want to make it. I can't just jump on to anything which is just a film
because for me again it's a time-consuming process, it's a long process, needs to keep me
interested so something you know as special as Badhaai Do comes your way suddenly you
know that you're up for it, for the grind. It's also a grind. It's a day in day out, challenging
journey and it's relentless. I mean making a film is quite something so you need to be
really sure because if there is regret somewhere in the middle of it all I don't know there is no
coming back right and then live with the torture. So I’m a little
careful with what I want to do so that's why it's taken so many years
But you are working on multiple scripts because you
write yourself and this like you said this is not written by you, they eventually approached
No, so I did write something for will and we still not yet sure when to make it. That was one
thing that I’ve done between but other than that I didn't
write anything. I mean I was just making AD films.
Hasee Toh Phasee. It was before Hunter
And Raj for you, how important is it for you to you know sign on
for a script that has a social message but it is wonderfully married with humor?
Well, that's a great combination. I think it's a great marriage between humor and where you
can also put a point across. I always like those stories saying that not like I will always do
only those kinds of kinds of films. I'll do everything but this one I think is a great blend of
humor plus something, we're talking about something very
important which is so relevant in today's times. So, I think yeah.
Okay and you have done Ek Ladki Ko Dekha Toh Aisa Laga in the past. So, when this
subject came your way were you at any point skeptical in the sense that there shouldn’t be
similarities or seeing a closed eye?
Because I’ve read the script so I know there are no similarities at all. It's a very different
story, different character, different world, different maker, different approach so there were
no similarities at all. That way I’ve done Aligarh also which was also dealing with
LGBTQ and it was a biopic on professor Siras where Manoj sir was brilliant and it's one of
Hansal sir’s, I think most wonderful film. So, I think no I don't have any because these are
different stories you know we've been making love stories
forever now. But these are but we make different love stories.
And Harshvardhan for you, you wrote Hasee Toh Phasee, which
was the wrong pawn, then you made Hunter which was a sex comedy
Don’t call it sex comedy, call it coming of age.
You wrote and directed Hunter which was a coming-of-age comedy and now its Badhaai Do
which is a social comedy. So, is it a conscious effort on your end to write subjects in
different space but that has humour in its narrative? Is that a zone that?
I think yeah. I think I see life with a lot of humor even the worst of situations probably humor
does kind of give me respite you know and it just loosens the whole I mean it just loosens the
atmosphere or just makes it lighter. That's the way I look at life. So even the most depressing
things or the most darkest things I would want to see and I really think the pain comes out
even more when this is the language that is it's been told with this language but that's my
taste. I mean this could have been told in a very serious tone so many other things but again
it's not because it's a socially relevant film and this is it, that's why I should tell it with humor.
No, I think that is generally the voice that the kind of telling that I am interested.
The film is releasing on Valentine's day. How confident
are you about the film with respect to the box
office prospects because it's the opening film and
Valentine's day is actually a holiday for the youth as in?
Yeah, yeah, it is releasing around valentine's day and there’ll be love in the air and I think it
fits right in that environment because people want to go out you know with their partners,
with their friends and we as a country we love going to theaters and watch films. I think that's
been the culture for many, many decades now and I think this is the right film for people to
go out to theaters and enjoy and laugh out loud together. It's a community viewing film like
you can the kind of fun you'll have it watching in theater that's something which you cannot
recreate watching it all alone in your living room. So, I’m hopeful that people will go and it's
I’m hoping it's a very strong word of mouth film. No more people will watch it and they'll
talk about it to that another friend and then that friend will
watch it and so I think it will just grow I’m very hopeful it's going to grow
And this question for both of you. You know in the last four months there have been lot
of conversations around film going OTT. What was the factor that you know made everyone
hold back on to this for theatrical because you know these are uncertain and tough times and
people are taking the route because of multiple reasons.
So, what was it that gave the entire team and were there conversations for this as well?
The credit goes to producers. I think Amrita, who's our producer from Junglee she decided
that this is a theatrical film. She's super proud of Badhaai Do. It's her first film as a producer
in Junglee and she was very sure that she wants Badhaai Do to be a theoretical film and she
held it for a while which is I think kudos to her and her team so it was her decision
because eventually it's the producers you know, they decide everything
True. Because I’m sure there must have been offers from multiple players that
Yeah, yeah, yeah, once nothing he only offered a lot of money.
Coming on the map, that's what I was busy for seven years
And Raj, you have like you know there's Mr. & Mrs. Mahi that you are a part of.
You reunite with Janhvi after Roohi. How excited are you for
that? You play cricketer in that one which is a new space
How do you know I play cricketer?
I know I have heard that
Both of them are playing
Cricket is an important part of it but film is not only about cricket you know, it's just part of
it. Film is more way more than that. It’s about relationships, it's about its dealing with human
emotions, how we feel in life so yeah I can only tell you about that much about Mr. and
Mrs. Mahi but very excited to collaborate with Janhvi again. I think she's fab,
she's brilliant in what she does and I’ve been saying it since Dhadak I think she's got a really
bright future. And Sharan who is an again young you know passionate filmmaker, very, very
hard working and again work, he wants to work with a lot of detail in the script and he's still
writing and still making those tweaks every day now that he's
got some time in hand. It’s fun to work with people who are so serious about what they do
True. Yeah, and how do the two of you view this you know
advent that has come in the last two years of OTT
flourishing in a big way in Hindi like for the Hindi
It's great. I think we got to watch such amazing content on digital platforms and it's also
generating so much of employment. You know otherwise I don't know what would have
happened to the industry if digital platforms were not there. So, I’m glad it's there and it's
going to co-exist parallelly with theaters and yeah, I’m sure
they'll complement each other.
And Harsh, you?
Yeah, I completely agree. I mean with the advent of OTT there are also you know
beautiful forms of storytelling that can be experimented which couldn't have been as a
theatrical, I mean especially those short stories and
anthologies so which you know I don't think that
could have been made for a theatrical release. So those kinds of things are really fascinating
because you know even just telling a story which is just 45
minutes or 35 minutes is also a beautiful form, I think those are all possible
And what next for you after Badhaai Do?
You have taken a seven-year break and usually when it's before
It’s for Badhaai Do. Now I’ll take another break
Usually when directors take a long break after that we see multiple films rolling
But he will start his next one, next year.
And Raj, for you?
I will do ten
You have so many films so like could you tell us what's your lineup like for the year?
So, there is Monica, Oh My Darling which is done, after Badhaai Do.
There is a Bheed with Anubhav sir, where again me and Bhumi are there. And then there's a Hit-The
First Case with Sailesh, that's done. And currently I’m shooting for with Raj and Dk for my
first Netflix series and I’m very excited about that too.
Perfect. And anything happening on Chupke Chupke or
Nothing as of now.
Perfect. And last words on Badhaai Do before signing off?
It's really heartening for us that it's coming out and out in a theater which I was always
excited about as a filmmaker. It's a dream actually that you know this film should be watched
by an audience, by a community you know watching
it together. So yeah, it's coming out on 11th of Feb. So please come and watch it
We are welcoming you back to theaters with our film Badhaai Do. Come, have fun, come
with your friends, your partners, your families and enjoy the film
and laugh out loud. Eat popcorn, watch the film and have fun
Thank you so much guys. It was lovely having you here and wish you all the best for the film.
Thank you Himesh. Thank you