Dhadak Updates- Shashank on why he changed Sairat end- PG 31 - Page 11

By Natasha Coutinho, Mumbai Mirror |Updated: Jun 20, 2018, 04:00 IST

Director Shashank Khaitan praises his leading lady who returned to work soon after Sridevi's sudden demise, says he is gearing up to live out a childhood dream and admits it will be exciting to return to the Dulhania franchise

With the successful Dulhania franchise Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania and BadrinathKi Dulhania to his credit, Shashank Khaitan is one of B-town's most promising young directors today who's hoping to score a hat-trick with the upcoming Dhadak, featuring Ishaan Khatter and debutante Janhvi Kapoor. Talking about his decision to adapt the Marathi hit Sairat, the filmmaker reveals that he loved the film so much that as soon as he stepped out of the theatre, he called up mentor-producer Karan (Johar) and told him he wanted to make this film.

"I knew I couldn't just make a blind remake so we changed the setting and the characters a bit but I have retained the soul of Sairat so the audience is proud of Dhadak too, he asserts, adding that he has yet to meet the original filmmaker, Nagraj Manjule, but hopes it happens soon. About his own take on Manjule's runaway hit, h says, "The idea was to direct the film my way but I hope I get to meet Nagraj soon.

While the original was set in Maharashtraand Andhra Pradesh, Shashank has shifted his film to Rajasthan with the story in the second half moving to Kolkata. "I immediately thought of Rajasthan because I'm a Rajasthani and have travelled a lot in the region. I know the people well and know the conflicts of the place. Also, I was born in Kolkata and grew up there so again I know the place well and know how different it is from Rajasthan which is essential to the plot. We did a lot of readings but the dialogues are not Marwari or Mewari since we are making a Hindi film and I want it to reach the whole country, not just a particular region or state, Shashank explains.

Though new to showbiz, both his actors come from film families Ishaan is Shahid Kapoor's halfbrother and Janhvi is Boney Kapoor and the late Sridevi's elder daughter. But Shashank insists that as mentor he didn't want to pressurise them with his expectations and instead shifted the focus to work. "My actors were instructed to stay with the script for six months. They just kept reading and absorbing every word, not just their scenes but the entire film. I wanted them to know the script like the back of their hand so that if they needed to incorporate an extra word they would know enough to pull it off, he reveals.

The director is all praise for his leading lady who suddenly lost her actress-mother in the middle of the shoot but was professional enough to ensure that the film was completed on schedule.

"In the wake of the tragedy we tried to keep the atmosphere on the set as normal as possible, knowing that the more we tried to sympathise with Janhvi, the more the situation would affect her. We kept the focus on work and not on what had happened knowing that time is the best healer. I salute her courage, he says emotionally.