Filmmaker Anees Bazmee recalls how David Dhawan was surprised seeing him in tears while writing Swarg

Filmmaker Anees Bazmee, known for films like Welcome, No Entry, Singh Is Kinng, and Bhool Bhulaiyaa 3, opened up at the Jagran Film Festival, recalling his various experiences during the making of his films.

Anees Bazmee opened up about writing for films and more

Speaking about his writing process and how David Dhawan once reacted he said, “I prefer writing alone in my room, which is why I often end up laughing at my own jokes—I know they’ll work because they make me laugh first. I’m emotional too; when I write an emotional scene, I become teary-eyed. Once, while I was writing in a hotel room, David walked in and thought something was wrong, but I told him I was just writing a scene. Comedy is the toughest genre, but it comes naturally to me, so I write.”

Talking about Nana Patekar’s performance in Welcome, he said, “Many people from the film told me Nana ji had never done anything like this but everyone agreed he’s a great person. I always felt he’d shine in comedy so much so that once he fully stepped into it, he’d show others how comedy is truly done. Nanaji isn’t just a fine actor but a wonderful human being. When I went to narrate the story, he asked how long it would take: Three minutes, 30 minutes, or three hours and he chose three hours. After hearing it, he hugged me and said, ‘Anees, I am raw mud; mould me however you want.’ And throughout the entire film, he never gave me a single reason to complain.”

Recalling an incident about a friend’s father and his mental health, he said, “A friend used to call me for lunch again and again just so he could hug me and thank me. He told me that after watching the film, which his son played once, the father kept asking him to replay it over and over. His son said it took him a month to understand everything, and he would simply nod whenever I asked questions. Later, I realised he had probably watched Welcome non-stop for an entire year. He said he would laugh so much inside, even while lying on the floor like a vegetable, and he truly believes this film helped him recover.”

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