Meena Iyer (BOMBAY TIMES; November 5, 2015)
In a season when established names have failed, director Luv Ranjan (33) and producer Abhishek Pathak (28) are riding high on the success of their comedy Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2 (PKP2), a Panorama Studios production, which is holding well at the box office. Excerpts from a conversation with them.
Luv, did you think PKP2 would fare better than the first part?
Our belief in the sequel was strong because we knew that Pyaar Ka Punchnama (PKP) was seen by many more people than what the box office numbers reflected. It was a slow starter but it ran for seven weeks. We are both aware that a lot of people also caught the film on the internet, DVDs and satellite TV etc. Therefore, when we set out to make part two, we already had a definite fan base. We were hopeful that those who missed the first part in cinemas would definitely make an effort to catch the sequel in theatres only.
Abhishek: It is our faith in our franchise that made my father Kumar Mangat Pathak and I buy the theatrical rights back from Viacom18 Motion Pictures for worldwide distribution.
Do you admit that your point of view was lopsided; since guys liked the film more than women?
Things have been told from a male perspective but at the end of the day, it is a comedy. Therefore, you cannot take it too seriously. We don't buy the rationale that men have liked it more than women. There are a lot of women from this generation who have loved the film. Youngsters are more chilled out and the self-deprecatory humour works with them. If you see the movie from a philosophical and ideological point of view, it will go for a toss.
Luv, surely you were joking when you said that PKP 2 is a film on women empowerment?
I maintain that it is a film on women empowerment. I say this because the actresses in my movie are actually able to control the lives of their men.You should agree with me, albeit from a humorous point of view, that only a strong woman can control her man and turn his world upside down.
Abhishek: It had a lot to do with the fact that this time the media also supported us. Last time, both Luv and I were new, so the media didn't bother too much with us. In fact, even our actors were new and at some of the press events, journalists had no questions for any of us. They were also not sure about the quality of the film. However, this time around because we were the makers of PKP and most of the actors too were being repeated, the media came forward and gave us the support. There was a definite curiosity to see what we have done a second time around and they were more welcoming.
How has the industry reacted?
Luv: The industry doesn't accept you very easily. Our film is a success but not everyone is going to acknowledge it. Our movie is against stereotype. It defies norms; it is an anti-love film. Bollywood finds it hard to justify why and how a film like this became a commercial success. In many peoples' heads it becomes difficult to justify their methods. It is an aberration. They will accept our success but grudgingly.
Abhishek: We got the unstinted support of the aam janta. We have managed to triple our investment and I'm happy for us.
One hears there is a third part in the offing?
Luv: Not yet. But of course, that is a thought in our heads.When I made part one, I used to joke that the sequel would be made from a female view point, but I didn't do that. Now I think I will make part three from a woman's perspective. Our film has opened up a certain amount of debate. So there is ample scope to do so, once again with humour. It will be fun to make the film from a female perspective.
You guys have been partners on three films - two hits and one flop. How would you describe your short journey?
Luv: Abhishek and I met at a friend's wedding in Himachal Pradesh. There were few youngsters there and both of us got talking and hit it off instantly. We realised that we shared a common passion for cinema. Both of us had gone to New York Film Academy, he in NY and I in Los Angeles. I'm from Ghaziabad, so after the wedding, I went home and we promised to connect on my next trip to Mumbai. My first film was PKP. And our second was AkaashVani, which dealt with domestic violence and marital rape. Each movie comes with its own destiny. Both of us worked equally hard on that film but it flopped. We learnt more from failure than from success.
Abhishek: Besides a good creative partnership, the two of us have also developed a good friendship. We are almost family now. We fight a lot less (laughs).
Luv: Both of us are unmarried. And we are worried that after PKP2, we may not find too many girls willing to marry us (laughs).
Is there someone in Bollywood whom both of you wish to thank?
Luv: We are grateful to our producer Kumar Mangat Pathak. He is a simple man. He doesn't calculate and manipulate too much. When we approached him and asked him whether we could make the sequel, he said that if we believed in it, we should go ahead and do it. That's how simple he is. Also, while making PKP he knew we were raw. We made many mistakes but he was very patient.
Did you notice a change in your actors' attitude between the sequels?
Luv: Kartik Aaryan, Nushrat Bharucha, Ishita Raj and Sonnalli Seygall were all very new and young when we made PKP. They are like family. Behaviour changes with success. Our actors had done relatively less amount of work between the two parts and they hadn't met spectacular success or got associated with any other film, the way they did with our movie.
Abhishek: Hence, when they came back to us for PKP2, it was like a happy family reunion. All of us have reason to smile today.
Luv, did you think PKP2 would fare better than the first part?
Our belief in the sequel was strong because we knew that Pyaar Ka Punchnama (PKP) was seen by many more people than what the box office numbers reflected. It was a slow starter but it ran for seven weeks. We are both aware that a lot of people also caught the film on the internet, DVDs and satellite TV etc. Therefore, when we set out to make part two, we already had a definite fan base. We were hopeful that those who missed the first part in cinemas would definitely make an effort to catch the sequel in theatres only.
Abhishek: It is our faith in our franchise that made my father Kumar Mangat Pathak and I buy the theatrical rights back from Viacom18 Motion Pictures for worldwide distribution.
Do you admit that your point of view was lopsided; since guys liked the film more than women?
Things have been told from a male perspective but at the end of the day, it is a comedy. Therefore, you cannot take it too seriously. We don't buy the rationale that men have liked it more than women. There are a lot of women from this generation who have loved the film. Youngsters are more chilled out and the self-deprecatory humour works with them. If you see the movie from a philosophical and ideological point of view, it will go for a toss.
Luv, surely you were joking when you said that PKP 2 is a film on women empowerment?
I maintain that it is a film on women empowerment. I say this because the actresses in my movie are actually able to control the lives of their men.You should agree with me, albeit from a humorous point of view, that only a strong woman can control her man and turn his world upside down.
Abhishek: It had a lot to do with the fact that this time the media also supported us. Last time, both Luv and I were new, so the media didn't bother too much with us. In fact, even our actors were new and at some of the press events, journalists had no questions for any of us. They were also not sure about the quality of the film. However, this time around because we were the makers of PKP and most of the actors too were being repeated, the media came forward and gave us the support. There was a definite curiosity to see what we have done a second time around and they were more welcoming.
How has the industry reacted?
Luv: The industry doesn't accept you very easily. Our film is a success but not everyone is going to acknowledge it. Our movie is against stereotype. It defies norms; it is an anti-love film. Bollywood finds it hard to justify why and how a film like this became a commercial success. In many peoples' heads it becomes difficult to justify their methods. It is an aberration. They will accept our success but grudgingly.
Abhishek: We got the unstinted support of the aam janta. We have managed to triple our investment and I'm happy for us.
One hears there is a third part in the offing?
Luv: Not yet. But of course, that is a thought in our heads.When I made part one, I used to joke that the sequel would be made from a female view point, but I didn't do that. Now I think I will make part three from a woman's perspective. Our film has opened up a certain amount of debate. So there is ample scope to do so, once again with humour. It will be fun to make the film from a female perspective.
You guys have been partners on three films - two hits and one flop. How would you describe your short journey?
Luv: Abhishek and I met at a friend's wedding in Himachal Pradesh. There were few youngsters there and both of us got talking and hit it off instantly. We realised that we shared a common passion for cinema. Both of us had gone to New York Film Academy, he in NY and I in Los Angeles. I'm from Ghaziabad, so after the wedding, I went home and we promised to connect on my next trip to Mumbai. My first film was PKP. And our second was AkaashVani, which dealt with domestic violence and marital rape. Each movie comes with its own destiny. Both of us worked equally hard on that film but it flopped. We learnt more from failure than from success.
Abhishek: Besides a good creative partnership, the two of us have also developed a good friendship. We are almost family now. We fight a lot less (laughs).
Luv: Both of us are unmarried. And we are worried that after PKP2, we may not find too many girls willing to marry us (laughs).
Is there someone in Bollywood whom both of you wish to thank?
Luv: We are grateful to our producer Kumar Mangat Pathak. He is a simple man. He doesn't calculate and manipulate too much. When we approached him and asked him whether we could make the sequel, he said that if we believed in it, we should go ahead and do it. That's how simple he is. Also, while making PKP he knew we were raw. We made many mistakes but he was very patient.
Did you notice a change in your actors' attitude between the sequels?
Luv: Kartik Aaryan, Nushrat Bharucha, Ishita Raj and Sonnalli Seygall were all very new and young when we made PKP. They are like family. Behaviour changes with success. Our actors had done relatively less amount of work between the two parts and they hadn't met spectacular success or got associated with any other film, the way they did with our movie.
Abhishek: Hence, when they came back to us for PKP2, it was like a happy family reunion. All of us have reason to smile today.
