‘We’ve Already Outlined What To Do In Our Next Films’

”You
can
expect

bohut
kuch.
Our
dreams
are
big
about
the
larger
plan.’

With

Stree
2
becoming
a


blockbuster,
it
looks
like
the
horror-comedy
formula
is
here
to
stay.

But
the
film’s
success
isn’t
without
merit.

Director

Amar
Kaushik
delivers
a
cleverly
crafted
entertaining
romp
that
brings
people
back
to
theatres,
a
rare
feat.

The
box
office
triumph
also
means
that
the
Maddock
Supernatural
Universe
is
ready
to
expand
on
its
ambition,
and
Kaushik
is
at
its
forefront.

Meanwhile,
he
can’t
stop
raving
about
his
leading
man.

“Half
your
job
is
done
when
an
actor
like
Rajkummar
is
in
your
film.
He
is
such
a
fabulous
actor.
Sometimes
I
enact
and
show
him
how
to
approach
a
certain
scene.
He
then
takes
it
up
by
100
notches.
He
is
really
the
best
actor
we
have
in
our
country,”
Amar
tells

Mayur
Sanap/Rediff.com.

You
once
mentioned
that
horror
isn’t
your
favourite
genre.
Is
that
why
you
balance
it
out
with
comedy?

Yes.
Whenever
I
used
to
see
horror
before,
I
was
like,
okay
what’s
next?
Why
don’t
they
move
ahead
faster?

But
when
I
took
up

Stree
to
direct,
the
comedy
came
organically.

I
see
humour
even
in
tragedy.

When
I
started
writing
with
Niren
(Bhatt),
I
realised
he
is
also
like
me.
We
find
humour
easily.

When

I
interviewed
Abhishek
Banerjee
recently,
he
spoke
very
fondly
of
you.
As
someone
who
featured
in
all
your
films,
is
he
your
lucky
mascot?

Yes,
you
can
call
him
that.

Abhishek
knows
exactly
what
I
need
out
of
his
performance.
Sometimes
it
is
just
a
simple
eye
contact,
and
he
gets
it.

We
have
known
each
other
since
the
time
I
was
an
AD
(assistant
director)
and
he
was
a
casting
assistant.
I
used
to
see
him
reciting
lines
for
actors
in
audition
rooms.

I
could
see
a
great
performer
in
him
when
he
used
to
read
those
lines.

I
once
told
him
if
I
ever
made
a
film,
you
would
definitely
star
in
it.

He
never
thought
I
would
make
as
a
director
neither
did
he
think
he
would
be
an
actor.

When
I
became
a
director,
I
called
him
up
and
offered
him
a
role.
That’s
how
it
started.

He
is
so
good
in
the
film.
His
Jana
is
a
standout
character.

Yeah.
You
know
why
he
is
so
good?
Because
he
gives
his
all
to
the
character.

He
is
nothing
like
Jana,
but
when
he
performs
he
completely
transforms
himself.

He
doesn’t
care
how
he
looks,
or
what
clothes
he
is
wearing
or
if
his
face
profile
is
right.
Nothing.
When
he
is
in
the
scene,
he
performs
wholeheartedly.

What
do
Rajkummar
Rao,
Shraddha
Kapoor,
Pankaj
Tripathi
and
Aparshakti
Khurana
individually
bring
in
to
their
roles?
What’s
the
vibe
on
sets
like
when
all
of
you
are
together?

They
bring
in
a
lot!

Half
your
job
is
done
when
an
actor
like
Rajkummar
is
in
your
film.
He
is
such
a
fabulous
actor.

Raj
knows
this
small
town
world
so
well.
He
is
also
a
great
observer.

Sometimes
I
enact
and
show
him
how
to
approach
a
certain
scene.
He
then
takes
it
up
by
100
notches.

He
is
really
the
best
actor
we
have
in
our
country.

Aparshakti
bring
so
much
humour
to
the
table.

Pankaj
sir
has
a
knack
for
turning
a
normal
line
to
funny
one
just
with
his
expressions.

Shraddha
is
a
true
star.

Action
was
something
very
difficult
for
her
in
the
beginning,
but
the
way
she
adapted
is
amazing.

When
she
twists
her

choti
(braid)
in
those
scenes,
you
can
feel
her
superwoman
aura.

We
call
each
other
by
the
character’s
names
on
sets,
except
Shraddha
whose
character
has
no
name,
so
we
call
her

stree.

You
reprise
the
small
role
of
a
homeless
man
from
first

Stree.
We
also
see
you
shaking
a
leg
in
the

Aaj
Ki
Raat
song
in
this
film.
You
have
done
cameos
in

Bhediya
and

Bala
as
well.
How
soon
can
we
expect
your
acting
debut
in
a
full-fledged
role?

No,
no,
never.
(Laughs)

You
will
see
me
in
these

chota
chota
roles
only.

It
was
actually
Rajkummar
who
pushed
me.
We
had
a
standby
actor
for
that
role
of
a
homeless
man
in
first

Stree,
but
Raj
said
I
should
do
it.

It
started
as
joke
and
I
continued
that
role
in

Stree
2
as
well.

Even
during
the
rehearsals
and
shoot
for

Aaj
Ki
Raat,
I
was
really
vibing
with
the
song.
So
my
choreographer
asked
me
to
join
the
gang
and
I
did.

Niren
had
actually
written
some
four-five
scenes
for
that
homeless
man
character,
but
I
said
I
will
only
do
one
small
scene.

You
are
the
first
generation
film-maker
from
your
family.
What
fascinated
you
about
film-making?
How
did
you
decide
to
pursue
it?

We
all
have
passion
for
cinema
and
films
since
childhood,
right?

It
just
stayed
with
me.

In
childhood,
we
used
to
live
in
Arunachal
Pradesh,
so
there
was
no
electricity
there.
We
used
to
watch
films
in
a
battery
with
VCR
and
cassette.
It
used
to
take
us
two
days
to
finish
one
film
due
to
intermittent
electricity.

I
used
to
enact
certain
scenes,
replicate
those
fight
scenes
with
my
siblings.

When
I
grew
up,
I
had
no
clue
what
film-making
was
all
about.
I
left
that
dream
for
some
time,
and
took
up
marketing
in
Kanpur.

Later
I
did
Mass
Comm
in
Delhi,
then
came
to
Bombay
and
entered
films.

I
never
formally
learned
film-making,
I
trained
myself
on
the
job.

Now
that

Stree
2‘s
success
has
solidified
your
position
as
hit-maker,
are
you
willing
to
explore
opportunities
outside
Maddock
Films?

I
don’t
see
the
need
at
the
moment.

I
have
become
a
producer
with
Maddock.
I
like
to
work
as
family,
and
Dinu
and
I
are
like
brothers.

We
never
have
any
differences
when
it
comes
to
our
work.
Together,
we
take
good
decisions.

Right
now,
he
is
the
best
producer
to
work
with
in
the
country.

As
one
of
the
chief
architects
of
this
supernatural
universe,
how
far
ahead
are
you
thinking?
What
can
we
expect
next?

You
can
expect

bohut
kuch
(a
lot).

Our
dreams
are
big
about
the
larger
plan.

Dinu,
Niren
and
I
have
already
outlined
the
map
of
what
to
do
in
our
next
films,
but
we
will
take
one
step
at
a
time.

This
is
going
to
be
a
big
universe.