‘In Love, There Should Be No Ego’

‘We
rarely
see
films
that
comment
on
a
failed
man-woman
relationship.’

Bhumi
Pednekar
tries
comedy
in
her
new
film,

Mere
Husband
Ki
Biwi,
and
she
admits
it’s
a
tough
job.

“Comedy,”
Bhumi
tells

Subhash
K
Jha,
“is
the
toughest
form
of
art.”

Mere
Husband
Ki
Biwi
looks
like
a
laugh
riot.
Did
you
have
fun
shooting
it?

Comedy
is
something
I
enjoy
thoroughly.

I’ve
done
quite
a
few,
maybe
the
tone
of

Mere
Husband
Ki
Biwi
is
a
little
different.

This
is
more
social
comedy
with
a
slice-of-life
feel
to
it.

I
have
not
done
a
comedy
where
I
get
the
punchlines
or
where
I
do
physical
comedy.
So
it
was
very
refreshing.

I
feel
that
women
usually
don’t
get
an
opportunity
to
do
that.

You
have
worked
with
Mudassar
Aziz
before.
Has
he
evolved
as
a
director?

Everything
I
did
was
directed
by
my
able
director
Mudassar
Aziz
because
he
has
a
very
good
hold
on
comedy,
and
he
understands
comic
timing.

An
actor
like
me
loves
to
improvise
but
there
were
many
times
where
he
told
me
to
hold
back
because
a
comedy
of
this
tone
does
not
have
the
space
to
do
that,
especially
where
dialogues
are
concerned.
They
are
written
in
a
certain
meter,
and
they
need
to
be
delivered
in
a
certain
meter
because
of
the
punchlines.

What
do
you
find
tougher
to
do:
Serious
films
like

Bhakshak
or
lighthearted
films
like

Mere
Husband
Ki
Biwi?

I
feel
comedy
is
the
toughest
form
of
art.

A
lot
of
comedy
is
dependent
on
the
people
you
share
the
frame
with
because
if
they
don’t
have
an
impact
of
the
line
that
you’ve
delivered
or
if
their
reaction
isn’t
funny,
the
audience
will
not
find
it
funny.

Comedy
is
very
tough.

There’s
a
saying
that
comedy
is
serious
business,
and
I
completely
resonate
with
it.

It’s
one
of
the
most
intelligent
and
toughest
forms
of
writing.

So
I’ve
truly
had
a
lot
of
fun
doing
it.

But
where
my
films
like

Bhakshak
or
any
of
film
that
was
more
dramatic
is
concerned,
I’m
somebody
who’s
extremely
empathetic
and
who
seeks
stories
that
can
bring
about
change.

Bhakshak,
for
me,
is
something,
even
though
those
characters
are
so
away
from
me.
A
lot
of
hard
work
goes
into
becoming
those
characters
but
there’s
a
lot
of
hard
work
in
performing
comedy
too.

I’ve
been
very
fortunate
to
get
a
second
chance
to
work
with
Mudassar.
I
really
hope
that
my
journey
with
him
continues
into
more
projects
where
he
can
discover
a
newer
facet
of
me.

I
trust
him
blindly
as
a
director.
He’s
evolved
so
much
as
a
filmmaker.

For
me,

Khel
Khel
Mein
was
one
of
his
best
films.

The
best
part
about
Mudassar
is
that
he
has
a
lot
of
sensitivity
and
reads
women
in
a
beautiful
way.
It’s
so
refreshing
to
see
a
filmmaker
that
does
not
leave
his
ideology
even
in
a
commercial
potboiler.

I
think
his
flair
for
writing,
his
love
for
cinema
only
keeps
getting
deeper
with
every
film
that
he
makes.

He’s
a
purist.
He
is
in
the
business
of
making
movies
because
he
deeply
loves
cinema.

What
according
to
you
is
the
USP
of

Mere
Husband
Ki
Biwi?

The
USP
of
this
comedy
is
that
even
though
it
is
a
story
of
two
women
and
a
man
stuck
between
them,
there’s
nothing
adulterous
in
the
film.

I
am
playing
Arjun’s
(Kapoor)
ex-wife.

We’ve
been
separated
and
there
must
have
been
a
reason
for
it.

Nobody
goes
through
a
divorce
happily
and
finally
Ankur
(Arjun’s
character)
is
ready
to
move
on
in
life.

He’s
found
the
love
of
his
life
but
his
ex
comes
back
and
she
has
lost
her
memory.

This
situation
creates
a
lot
of
comedy
and
because
Ankur
Khanna
is
such
a
green
flag,
he
still
wants
to
extend
his
support
to
his
past
relationship
because
she
is
going
through
a
tough
time.
That
creates
a
lot
of
confusion
and
a
comedy
of
errors.
So
you
see
these
two
strong
women
do
all
the
comedy
and
it’s
so
refreshing.

Our
families
get
involved
and
there’s
a
lot
of

khichdi.

And
you
know
what?

Yes?

With
all
the
laugh
out
loud
moments,
there
is
a
phenomenal
cast
supporting
these
moments:
Tiku
Talsaniaji,
Shakti
Kapoorji,
Mukesh
Rishiji,
Anita
Raj
ma’am,
Dino
Morea,
Aditya
Seal
and
Harsh
Gujral,
who’s
a
phenomenal
comedian
and
one
of
the
biggest
assets
that
the
film
could
have
had.

At
the
core
of
this
film,
there
is
a
beautiful
comedy
and
a
beautiful
human
drama
as
well.

We
rarely
see
films
that
comment
on
a
failed
man-woman
relationship.

Also,
the
film
gets
you
to
reflect
on
the
many
times
relationships
end,
and
it’s
just
not
a
husband-wife,
girlfriend-boyfriend
or
two
lovers.
It
can
also
be
about
a
brother
and
a
sister
or
two
friends.

That’s
because
in
purity
and
in
love,
there
should
be
no
ego.
There
should
be
self-respect
but
no
ego
and
the
film
makes
a
beautiful
comment
on
that.

Your
film
comes
on
the
heels
of
the
big
success,

Chhaava?

I
want
to
congratulate
the
team
of

Chhaava.

I
am
a
very
big
Vicky
Kaushal
fan
and
am
so
happy
for
him
because
we
started
our
careers
around
the
same
time.

My

Dum
Laga
Ke
Haisha
and
his

Masaan
came
around
the
same
time.

I’ve
had
an
opportunity
to
do
a
film
with
him
and
feel
he’s
one
of
the
finest
actors
in
our
country.

To
see
the
kind
of
success
that

Chhaava
has
got
makes
me
very
happy
because
before
anything,
I’m
a
lover
of
cinema.

Our
films
need
to
do
well.

Our
films
need
to
be
celebrated
and
when
a
celebration
like
this
happens,
the
audience
is
in
a
mood
to
go
to
cinemas.