"It's very challenging to make a multi-starrer film," says director Anees Bazmee

Anees Bazmee talks about his upcoming film Paagalpanti, his relationship with Anil Kapoor and why he loves making multi-starrers
Anees Bazmee with John Abraham
Anees Bazmee with John Abraham

Think multi-starrer Hindi films that have a mix of comedy and drama, and the only name that comes to mind is that of film director, Anees Bazmee. The brains behind hits like No Entry, Welcome and Singh Is Kinng will be back this year with his new film, Paagalpanti. The last time Anees was in the news, it was for Arjun Kapoor-starrer Mubarakan.

Again, his new project stars a host of actors like John Abraham, Ileana D’Cruz, Anil Kapoor, Arshad Warsi and Pulkit Samrat. “It’s quite cold and we have been shooting non-stop,” says the director on the phone from London, adding, “As the title implies, the film is madness. It has a lot of actors, but every actor’s role is important. It is a comedy and is being shot at the best locations in London. It is a complete family entertainer.”

With so many such films to his name, it may seem like it’s a cakewalk for Anees to make another. However, the filmmaker disagrees. “I will be honest. It’s very challenging to work with so many actors at one go. Every actor comes with their body of work, their moods are different, their problems are varied, so it gets difficult to direct them all,” he reveals.

Anees enjoys a good rapport with everyone in the industry because of his long innings as a writer and director. Those who have been part of his films will agree that working with him is fun. “My shoots seem like a picnic because we make working so much fun,” shares the director. An aspect about Anees’ films that you can’t ignore is the presence of Anil Kapoor, who has become an integral part of the director’s stories, ever since No Entry. “We share a great friendship. I have known him since my stint as an assistant to Raj Kapoor. I have written scripts for some of his films like Laadla and Deewana Mastana, and I directed him in Welcome, Welcome Back and Mubarakan. He is a good and hard-working actor and we are very comfortable working with each other,” he says.

While he is still shooting for Paagalpanti, the filmmaker has already started working on the script of his next film which will be a romantic story starring Kartik Aryan and Disha Patani.

ayeshatabassum@newindian express.com
@aishatax

Related Stories

No stories found.
Indulgexpress
www.indulgexpress.com